Sam Kee Building, Commercial building in Chinatown, Vancouver, Canada
The Sam Kee Building stands at 8 West Pender Street and measures roughly 1.5 meters wide at ground level, while the upper floor extends to nearly 1.8 meters. Beneath the adjacent sidewalk runs an underground area that provides extra usable space and complements the narrow footprint above.
Chang Toy had the building erected in 1913 after the city reduced his original lot of roughly nine meters to less than two meters in order to widen the street. Rather than giving up, he developed a design that uses every available centimeter and extends both upward and below ground.
The name recalls the Sam Kee Company, which once played a central role in the commercial life of Vancouver's Chinatown. Visitors today see a small shop on the ground floor, while the rooms above continue to serve as offices.
The building sits at a busy intersection in the historic Chinatown district and is easy to explore on foot during a walk through the neighborhood. Stepping close to the facade allows visitors to appreciate the narrow proportions best and gain a clear sense of its unusual construction.
The structure is recognized worldwide as the narrowest commercial building still in use and draws architecture enthusiasts from many countries. Its design demonstrates how creative planning can produce practical solutions even on the smallest footprint.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
