Fire Insurance Plans

Main Library concourse 1920sFire Insurance Maps

Originally intended to show the character of any insured building and to assist fire insurance agents in assessing and controlling the risks of fire, these maps are now useful for researching the history of the campus.

Fire insurance plans are large-scale maps designed and drawn to show the characteristics of any insured building. These plans were compiled by fire insurance underwriters to assist agents in assessing and controlling the risks of fire. Today they are a useful tool for researching the evolution of the built environment of the campus.

Fire insurance plans for UBC are included in Volume 14 of the Insurance Plan of the City of Vancouver, which covers the area from the head of Point Grey to Blanca Street, and from English Bay to the North Arm of the Fraser River. See this guide for more information.

  • Greater Vancouver, B.C., vol. XIV : Municipality of Point Grey / surveyed Jan. 1926 [by the] British Columbia Fire Underwriters Association, Plan Dept. ; extended April 1932. — Vancouver, B.C. : British Columbia Fire Underwriters Association, 1926-1932. — 1 plan in 8 sheets : lith., ms. col. ; 64 x 54 cm. ; scale [1:2 400].
    HR G3514 V3 B75 v.14 & aperture cards.
  • Insurance plan of the city of Vancouver, volume 14, July 1962 / compiled and issued by Underwriters’ Survey Bureau, Limited, 1962. — [Vancouver, B.C.] : Underwriters’ Survey Bureau, Limited, 1962. — 1 plan in 6 sheets : lith., ms. col. ; 33 x 31 cm. ; scale [1:1 200].
    HR G3514 V3 U53 v.14.
  • Insurance plan of the city of Vancouver, volume 14, July 1962 / compiled and issued by Underwriters’ Survey Bureau, Limited, 1962. — [Vancouver, B.C.] : Underwriters’ Survey Bureau, Limited, 1962. — 1 plan in 6 sheets : lith., ms. col. ; 33 x 31 cm. ; scale [1:1 200].
    Maps-Ms.Coll.-Phelps Vancouver v.14 1962.