The Western Front Front, (Another False Front)

This work is under construction at the Western Front Gallery, Opens December 5, 2009.

Photos of install here.

The proposed work is an architectural intervention where an adaptation of the existing western false front (or commercial false front) is added to in order to emphasize Vancouver's long running upswing in the real estate market and subsequent boom economy.

Historically, “the false front commercial building type is seen as a building of the urban pioneer west; a boomtown street lined with false front buildings created visual continuity and an urban atmosphere lending a grander, larger-than-life appearance to the primitive cabins. False fronts crowded together along business streets gave frontier camps a visual sense of security, reinforcing the logical notion of Main Street as a tangible link to civilization. The goal of the western false front design was to produce a building of visual quality that approximated the kinds of buildings being constructed in the more established cities”.

In keeping with the idea of architectural form as an expression of the perception of wealth and culture; I am proposing to construct a temporary false front on top of the already existing false front. The new false front will be one and a half times larger than the original false front and project out over the sidewalk at a slight angle.

Quote from: Dale Heckendorn, "New architectural styles / types added to the lexicon," Historical & Architectural Survey Newsletter, October 2005 - number 10.