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Join our campaign to save Nanaimo Chinatown's last buildings
Nanaimo’s Chinatowns are not gone. Two of the last remaining original buildings from the city’s Third and Fourth Chinatowns still stand in their original locations on Hecate St. Today, however, they face the threat of imminent sale and redevelopment. We are aiming to save one at least, namely 880 Hecate St.
Nanaimo’s Chinatowns are not gone. Two of the last remaining original buildings from the city’s Third and Fourth Chinatowns still stand in their original locations on Hecate St. Today, however, they face the threat of imminent sale and redevelopment. We are aiming to save one at least, namely 880 Hecate St.
These buildings are rare surviving traces of Nanaimo’s Chinese diasporic cultural heritage, but they do not have currently have any heritage recognition by the City of Vancouver. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to conserve them and reimagine their future as living cultural spaces.
These buildings are rare surviving traces of Nanaimo’s Chinese diasporic cultural heritage, but they do not have currently have any heritage recognition by the City of Vancouver. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to conserve them and reimagine their future as living cultural spaces.
880 Hecate St.
880 Hecate St.
Old China Doll Restauran and Chinese Freemasons Building in the
Nanaimo's Fourth Chinatown on Hecate and Machlearly
This building is part of Nanaimo’s original Fourth Chinatown and is one of the last remaining physical links to that historic district. Built before the 1960 Chinatown fire era, it reflects the wooden mixed-use vernacular architecture typical of Nanaimo’s working-class Chinese community, including a community hall designed in a traditional Chinese clan society style for gatherings.
For generations, the site supported continuous Chinese community presence. It was home to a Chinese fruit and vegetable peddler, multiple Chinese restaurants owned by George and Maragaret Chang, founders of the Modern Cafe. The most notable restaurant was the China Doll Restaurant. The front hall served as the restaurant dining area that hosted fashion shows and themed nights. The back was the kitchen at the bottom and a residence at the top for the cooks.
Later, it was sold to the Chinese Freemasons Headquarters of Canada that used it for the Nanaimo Chinese Freemasons branch. The Chinese Freemasons an important national social and cultural institution in Chinese diasporic life. They were located in this buildling for three decades.
Today, the building is used as rental housing, and previously a mixed-used housing and community centre. It is currently listed for sale for redevelopment.
The City of Nanaimo previously issued a redevelopment permit for a townhouse project, but that permit has now expired. This creates a renewed opportunity to advocate for formal heritage recognition of the site, as well as to reimagine its future as a multicultural community centre that reactivates the spirit of Nanaimo’s Chinatowns.
997 Hecate St.
997 Hecate St.
Old Chinese Freemasons Building in the Nanaimo's Third Chinatown on Pine and Hecate
This building is part of Nanaimo’s original Third Chinatown and represents a rare surviving structure from what was once Nanaimo’s largest Chinatown at Pine and Hecate.
Most of the surrounding neighbourhood was lost in the major Chinatown fire and subsequent demolition by the City of Nanaimo in 1960, and was never rebuilt, but this building still stands today in its original site.
Like other pre-1960 Chinatown buildings, it is a wooden structure reflective of the vernacular architecture of Nanaimo’s working-class Third Chinatown.
The site has historically been stewarded by the Nanaimo Chinese Freemasons and used for residential purposes.
It remains in use as affordable rental housing today, but it was recently sold. As an anchor of Pine and Hecate, there is an opportunity for the City of Nanaimo to recognize its heritage importance, while also securing important affordable rental housing stock.
Why Now
Why Now
These buildings represent some of the last visible and physical traces of Nanaimo’s vernacular, working-class Chinatown architecture and enduring spaces of Chinese community life in the city. Their preservation offers a rare opportunity for cultural redress and public education, ensuring these histories are not lost or reduced to memory alone.
Protecting and recognizing these sites also directly supports City Plan Policy, which calls for broader inclusion of cultural history and diversity in Nanaimo’s heritage interpretation and public storytelling.
Together, the buildings form part of a unique heritage network across the city, including four historic Chinatown sites, two Chinese cemeteries, and a museum. This network presents a meaningful opportunity for cultural tourism development and deeper public engagement with Nanaimo’s layered history. Their location also strengthens the potential for cultural activation along the E&N Trail, connecting historic Chinatown sites into a continuous interpretive corridor.
Finally, Nanaimo’s Community Heritage Register already includes nine sites and buildings from the 1950s to 1980s, demonstrating an existing framework for recognizing and protecting mid-century and community-significant places.
What We Are Calling For
What We Are Calling For
Add 880 Hecate St. and 997 Hecate St. to Nanaimo’s Community Heritage Register as the remaining physical traces of Nanaimo’s historic Chinatowns
Create a Multicultural Community Center, where all members of the community can come together for events and gatherings, such as lion dancing, mahjong, First Nations story-telling, African dance, youth workshops and more!
How You can Help
How You can Help
These buildings are among the last physical traces of Nanaimo’s historic Chinatowns, carrying deep cultural significance. Their loss would mean the disappearance of irreplaceable links to generations of past Chinese diasporic life in the city to the present.
Join us in calling on the City of Nanaimo to protect these sites and ensure they remain part of Nanaimo’s shared future, not just its past.
Sign our Petition!
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