A Suite Peek into Woodwards Units

The Woodward's building opened last week as buyers began taking possession of their units in the first tower (W43). There is still one more tower to be completed (W32) as well as the commercial space.

I had an opportunity to view this building early on as I have a client that purchased a unit. I didn't quite know what to expect, but I soon discovered that I could expect quite a lot.

In my work I see a lot of homes and a lot of condominium developments. I can honestly say that I've never seen this kind of quality design and craftsmanship in a mass market condominium building. Only some high-end custom renovations would be comparable.

The attention to detail is impressive. I noticed it first with the signature entry doors that owners were allowed to select from a group of 10 artists' work. It's a small detail but in practice it goes a long way to making every suite stand out and feel like a home. Inside, the suites include high-end stainless steel appliances (and gas stoves), custom Eersmann kitchens, oak hardwood floors and quality roller-blinds.

I often see buildings that complete and still require significant amounts of touch-up. These deficiencies are usually relatively minor flaws that the developer will come back and fix. The number of these deficiencies is often related to how rushed the building was built, and the quality of the construction. I've never seen a building with so few deficiencies as the units that I've seen in Woodward's.

Of course, fawning over the quality and design of the building is only telling half the story. What's going on outside the building also needs to be addressed. The building is essentially nestled between Victory Square and Main and Hastings. Vancouver's notorious downtown eastside pushes right up against the front door.

There's an enormous dichotomy when you walk outside of the Woodward's building onto Cordova street. Across the street outside the front doors people are sleeping under mounds of blankets and clothing, all of their worldly possessions gathered in a shopping cart. In a nearby alley, others are huddled up against garbage bins pushing drugs deep into their veins.

The neighborhood isn't for everyone. However, there are also a lot of people that welcome the raw edginess of the surroundings. Still others hope that Woodward's will be the first element to push that edginess away.

That wasn't the original intention of the development. From the very beginning the development has had the community in mind. To some extent, those facets of Woodward's have been scaled back but there is still social housing, institutional space and public spaces incorporated into the project.

I was skeptical of Woodward's from the beginning. I wasn't certain that a building of that size, quality and price-point would work in that neighborhood. I was not alone in my concerns. It's been a controversial development from the outset but now that it is here I think that it's going to be an incredible success.

What do you think?View of apartment in Woodwards