Our site is included in the Vancouver Heritage Register as a recognized part of the historic Chinatown neighbourhood. The building was constructed back in 1903 by Chu Lai of Victoria. He helped launch the Sam Kee and Company, an important Vancouver trading company, that occupied space in this building. Designed by W.T. Whiteway, a prominent Vancouver architect, the building is an excellent example of the city’s commercial architecture of that era. It features a pair of bay windows (popular at the time) and fine brick and sheet-metal detailing, including the corbels in the recessed panels over the windows and the delicate cornice at the top. The ground floor was used as commercial space and upstairs was residential space. A restaurant called ‘Green Door’ was established in the 1930s, serving general public and gamblers. Tucked away from bustling downtown, the restaurant appealed to many Vancouver’s poets, academics, and revolutionaries during 1960-70s.