Robson Square, Public square in downtown Vancouver, Canada
Robson Square is a concrete civic complex of three city blocks, with the glass-roofed Law Courts at its southern end and the Vancouver Art Gallery at its northern end. Its stepped terraces, ramps and stairs follow the slope, and a 90-metre sheet of water cascades over the plate-glass window of the registry office. The glass roof, 420 by 115 feet, rests on a steel space frame.
Robson Square grew out of the British Columbia Centre, a 208-metre skyscraper planned under W.A.C. Bennett's Social Credit government. After that government fell in 1972, the New Democratic government of Dave Barrett had the tower scrapped and commissioned Arthur Erickson to redesign the site as a "skyscraper laid on its back". Built in three stages for $139 million, it opened between 1978 and 1983, with the Law Courts finished in 1979 and the old courthouse reopened as the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1983.
The name honours John Robson, premier of British Columbia from 1889 to 1892. In the milder months the sunken rink hosts ballroom and salsa dancing and has been the hub of Vancouver's street dance community since the late 1990s.
The square has a free outdoor skating rink operating in winter months that is open daily with no admission cost. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended since the tiered design involves considerable stairs and slope navigation.
Three cascading waterfalls are built directly into the concrete structure and provide natural cooling to the space. These water features have remained a signature element of the design since the plaza's opening.
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