Sam Kee Building

Sam Kee Building
三記號大樓
The Sam Kee Building in 2024
Alternative names	Jack Chow Building[1]
General information
Address	8 West Pender Street
Town or city	Vancouver, British Columbia
Country	Canada
Coordinates	49°16′49.53″N 123°6′16.94″W / 49.2804250°N 123.1047056°W / 49.2804250; -123.1047056
Named for	Sam Kee Company
Year(s) built	1913; 111 years ago (1913)
Cost	CA$8,000
Owner	Jack Chow Insurance (since 1985)
Dimensions
Other dimensions	Ground floor depth: 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) Upper floor depth: 6 ft (1.8 m) Lot area: 571.8 sq ft (53.12 m2)
Technical details
Floor count	2 (+ 1 basement)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Kennerly Bryan William C. F. Gillam
Architecture firm	Bryan & Gillam
National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	January 14, 2003
Reference no.	2814
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	三記號大樓
Simplified Chinese	三记号大楼
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sān Jìhào Dàlóu Wade–Giles San1 Chi-4hao4 Ta4-lou2 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Saam1 Gei3hou6 Daai6lau4*2 other Yue Taishanese Lham1 Gi1hau5 Ai5leu3

The Sam Kee Building (Chinese: 三記號大樓), also known as the Jack Chow Building, is a two-storey commercial building in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located near the entrance to the city's Chinatown. It is noted for its narrow depth, which varies by floor. The ground floor is 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m) wide, while the upper floor spans 6 feet (1.8 m) because of its overhanging bay windows. Additionally, a basement extends under the sidewalk adjacent to the storefront. This discrepancy has led to a dispute with the Skinny Building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, over which commercial building is more narrow, as the Skinny Building has a consistent depth of 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m). Nonetheless, the Sam Kee Building is recognized by Guinness World Records as the "narrowest commercial building in the world" and by Ripley's Believe It or Not! as the "world's thinnest building".

The building was constructed as a spite house in 1913, in defiance of Vancouver City Council's decision to expropriate without compensation a lot belonging to local business magnate Chang Toy, also known as "Sam Kee". Located at the corner of Carrall Street and Pender Street, the depth of the original lot was reduced from roughly 30 feet (9.1 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) for the widening of Pender. After declining a neighbour's offer to purchase the remaining land, Chang bet a business associate that he could make commercial use of the land that remained. The Sam Kee Building was completed a year later, with a ground floor consisting of retail shops, an upper floor housing residential and organizational units, and a basement containing public baths.

Local businessman Jack Chow purchased the Sam Kee Building in 1985 and restored the property the following year. The building has since become a tourist attraction, although an insurance business still operates on the ground floor. It is considered a cultural heritage site by the municipal government and is listed in the Canadian Register of Historic Places.