While walking around Chinatown on Friday, Chinatown Today spotted a large easel set up at the corner of Keefer and the alley east of Main Street (right in front of De Xing Long Trading Co Ltd with their newly replaced awning). A closer inspection revealed that the painter, local artist Reza Doust, was in the midst of painting the historic Keefer Rooms building, home to dozens of residents and the Gain Wah restaurant before they were displaced by a devastating fire on September 9, 2022.
Reza Doust putting finishing touches on his painting of the Keefer Rooms/Gain Wah building on Friday, September 12, 2025. Photo Credit: Russell Chiong.
Mr. Doust began painting near 10:00 in the morning, preparing the canvas and blocking out the silhouettes before turning his eyes to the task of actually painting this century-old building. By 4:30pm, the scene was near complete, with Mr. Doust carefully refining the details and touching up the painting, with a handful more artists having set up shop in the alley to begin their own depictions of Gain Wah.
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In other Gain Wah-related news, the Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative has partnered with Heritage Bricks, known for custom LEGO miniatures of Vancouver landmarks such as New Town Bakery and the Ming’s Building (now Fortune Sound Club, DD Mau, and Livestock), to create a set depicting the façade of the building, as well as a slice of Gain Wah’s iconic light green interior. The “Keefer Rooms & New Gain Wah – Fundraiser Building Kit” is available for pre-order until September 21 at a price tag of $90.00, with 40% of sales going to support the Downtown Eastside SRO Collaborative.
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