Prominent Vancouver real estate developer Peter Wall dead at 87

Prominent Vancouver real estate developer Peter Wall, known for helping to shape the city's skyline, has died at 87, the Wall Financial Corporation confirmed in a statement.

"Peter Wall's legacy is woven into the very fabric of Vancouver. His bold vision, boundless generosity, and unwavering commitment to excellence have left an indelible mark on the city he so dearly loved," the development firm said in a statement Thursday.

"His deep love and admiration for Vancouver went far beyond its breathtaking scenery, it was the city that captured his heart and inspired his soul."

Wall, a Ukrainian immigrant of Mennonite heritage who came to Canada after the Second World War, died earlier this week, according to the statement.

He co-founded Wall & Redekop Corporation Ltd. in 1996, which later became Wall Financial Corporation, and established him as one of the city's largest hospitality and residential developers.

Michael Geller, a Vancouver architect and developer, knew and admired Wall.

"He really was an iconic figure in the development community," Geller said.

"Wall was building rental housing when nobody else was willing to build rental housing because ... he recognized over the long term there was great potential in building and owning rental properties."

Some of Wall's most prominent projects include One Wall Centre — also known as the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre — a 48-storey hotel with residential units in downtown Vancouver, and the Westin Wall Centre hotel in Richmond.

Geller said Wall should be remembered as someone who didn't follow the herd. For instance, Geller said he wasn't sure about the location of the Vancouver Wall Centre due to its proximity to St. Paul's Hospital.
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"I had reservations about whether it really was a suitable place for people to live because of the potential noise from ambulances and so forth," Geller said.

"But Wall appreciated the potential there," he said.

According to Geller, Wall helped revive the York Theatre, contributed to the expansion of the Orpheum theatre and helped establish the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music. 

Wall Financial Corporation said that Wall controlled the company through his ownership and control of 54 per cent of the company's outstanding common shares. It said all of those shares will now pass to the Peter Wall Legacy Trust.

The developer, who Geller described as "flamboyant," didn't just stand out from the crowd with his work, Geller said.

"When Peter was at a function, whether it was, an Arts Umbrella Splash [auction] or a symphony event, you always could pick him out in the crowd because he was distinctive in every aspect of his behaviour."