Another McCarter & Nairne work in Vancouver (see article on the Nurses of Vancouver below) is the Marine Building.

I’m interested primarily in buildings with faces, and while the Marine Building has a few of those, it’s a riot of sculptural decoration. The exterior is covered with, among other things, terra cotta representations of 1920s-vintage modes of transport.

True to its maritime name, many of these are seagoing vessels, such as a naval ship,

a Viking-type ship,

and a submarine.

There are also a biplane,

a Zeppelin

and a steam locomotive.

More about the history of the building and its faces tomorrow.