Chinatown

This guide to the Sam Kee Building in Vancouver's Chinatown starts in 1912, when the city sliced away most of a merchant's corner lot to widen Pender Street without paying him a cent. It follows Chang Toy, head of the Sam Kee Company, as he wagers a business associate that he can still put up a proper building on the sliver of land left behind. You'll also hear about the basement tucked beneath the sidewalk and the glass tiles set into the pavement above it. Listen for the architects' names as you look up at the storefront ahead of you.