English Bay's Berkeley Tower to be decorated with murals by Douglas Coupland

  One of Vancouver’s most recognizable residential buildings is about to become even more of a city landmark.Murals with colourful geometric shapes by artist Douglas Coupland are planned for the four sides of the 16-storey tower at Davie and Denman, which is undergoing an extensive renovation. Berkeley Tower, built in 1958, was originally painted green and yellow. It is now owned by Reliance Properties, which bought the property near English Bay for $43 million in 2016.Jon Stovell, president and CEO of Reliance, said everyone knows the building because of its unusual colour and its placement at an angle on the site.“It’s always been a landmark building,” he said. “But we felt the colours were dated and, frankly, not very attractive. We were trying to find a way for the building to be knowable by virtue of its appearance.”Stovell said that while the mural proposal has been approved by the city, it is still subject to public comment and a final permit.

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