Vancouver city council has voted to explore relocating and selling the naming rights to one of Vancouver’s best-loved public art pieces.
Ken Lum’s Monument to East Vancouver — better known as the East Van Cross — has sat at the busy intersection of Clark Drive and East Sixth Avenue since 2010.
The 17-metre tall cross that lights up at night was installed as part of an Olympic public art project, but a new 10-storey building springing up beside it is now obscuring views of the cross.
The East Van Cross is seen from behind with the new 10-storey building that’s going up beside it. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Coun. Mike Klassen, who brought the motion, said the East Van Cross has become emblematic of the city, showing up on all kinds of Vancouver promotional material. He believes its current location doesn’t do the famous landmark justice.
“This is a really important piece that people should be able to see better,” said Klassen, speaking on the CBC’s The Early Edition. “It’s become really almost symbolic of the working class east side of the city and a lot of people love it.”
The motion calls for the East Van Cross to remain in East Van, with its potential new site providing easy access so the public can take photos “safely and conveniently” while also respecting the artist’s vision.
The East Van Cross has been at its current location for over a decade. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
It goes on to say a relocation plan should include “opportunities for revenue generation, such as branded merchandise and on-site food and beverage service that support the monument’s upkeep and enhance community engagement.”
A second part of the motion says council will direct that the relocation project be included in the city’s sponsorship and naming rights efforts.
CBC reached out to Lum for comment but had not heard back by the time of publication.
Klassen said the city owns the East Van Cross but that Lum will have “agency” in the relocation plan.
“Right now, you can go down to a shop on Commercial Drive and buy an East Van Cross sign … That’s certainly not revenue that the city is seeing,” said Klassen.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to go visit the [Cross], sit and watch the sun go down and have that experience of being there whether you’re a visitor or local.”
Vancouver Coun. Mike Klassen argues that the cross should remain in East Vancouver. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Green Party Coun. Pete Fry said it was premature to explore commercializing and monetizing the East Van Cross without first consulting Lum.
“It sort of puts the cart before the horse, and we could quickly find ourselves where we’ve solicited sponsorships that may or may not reflect the values of the community of East Van and Ken Lum,” said Fry.
Klassen responded that generating money from the artwork would help pay for its relocation and the development of a new site.
“I can’t envision that we would go down the path of something that was potentially controversial in terms of a corporate sponsorship, for example,” said Klassen.
On his website, Lum explains that the Monument to East Vancouver has its roots in graffiti that circulated in East Vancouver for decades.
“The symbol has been adopted as an emblem for East Vancouver as a whole, but its appearance has generally been tentative rather than overt,” the artist’s description reads.
“The lack of overtness is, I feel, symptomatic of the underlying meanings that the symbol expresses,” it continues. “These meanings have to do with problems of injustice, inequality, subjugation, and the trauma of poverty and acculturation, partially as it relates to immigrant life.”
The motion calls for city staff to report back by the third quarter of 2025 with a proposed relocation plan, timeline and funding strategy developed in consultation with Lum and other stakeholders.
WATCH | East Van Cross could be on the move: