Sam Kee Building National Park

Address: 8 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1R3, Canada

The Sam Kee Building is a narrow commercial building on West Pender Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown. It is widely known for its extremely shallow ground-floor depth and distinctive facade squeezed between neighbouring structures.

The building functions as a commercial property and is commonly photographed for its unusual proportions. A plaque and street-level signage identify the site and its place in the neighbourhood’s built heritage.

The structure dates from the early 20th century and is associated with Chinese Canadian entrepreneur Sam Kee, after whom the building is named. It was constructed to make use of a remaining parcel of land following changes to the street layout and remains a local landmark.

The building sits in downtown Vancouver within the historic Chinatown neighbourhood, on West Pender Street close to commercial streets and transit.

• Unique dimension: Often cited as the narrowest commercial building in the world, its unusually thin street frontage makes it a frequent stop on walking tours of Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Walkable from Vancouver’s Waterfront and Gastown districts. From Waterfront Station, it is about a 7-10 minute walk; several bus routes and SkyTrain connections serve the area.

• Pause at the building's narrow façade on West Pender and imagine a carriage swing before you step inside.
• Look up: the building's signage and cornices tell the story of Vancouver's turn-of-the-century mercantile past.