Completed in the fall of 2009, the Rennie Art Gallery and Office was a revitalization of the oldest building in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown neighbourhood to accommodate both the pragmatic requirements of a real estate marketing firm with the client’s desire to exhibit his large, contemporary art collection. A series of office and gallery spaces were carved from the original building volumes in an honest interpretation of the building’s history: the interior interventions reveal portions of the original masonry; reclaimed wood was used for flooring and purpose-built millwork; the original schoolroom has been preserved as a meeting room; the heritage facade was restored; and all structures seismically upgraded.
