Creative Land Use: The World's Narrowest Commercial Building by Steve Carlson Once in a while, it's possible to fight city hall and win. Back in 1912, Chang Toy wanted to build a structure in Vancouver, B.C., for his business, the Sam Kee Company. The city fathers tried to thwart the project by expropriating most of Chang Toy's lot for a street-widening project. He was left with an apparently useless strip of land less than six feet wide. In defiance, Chang Toy went ahead and built the structure, using steel girders and reinforced concrete. On the inside, it measured 4 feet 11 inches by 100 feet. Big bay windows on the
