Marine Building

Vancouver’s most romantic old-school tower block is an evocative reminder of what skyscrapers used to look like before bland concrete and faceless glass caught the eye of area developers. A graceful, 22-story, Art Deco tribute to the city’s maritime past, its grand entranceway resembles a ship’s prow while a salty frieze of waves, marine flora and sea horses wraps around the building’s exterior. The interior lobby, awash in aqua-green and blue, is designed to resemble a huge, treasure-filled Mayan temple. The tallest building in the British Empire when it was completed in 1930, it now houses offices.