Description of Historic Place

The Washington Hotel, located at 177 East Hastings Street in Vancouver, is a masonry eight-storey Edwardian commercial structure adjacent to an alley.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Washington Hotel lies in the historic relationship between this area and the economy of early Vancouver. At the turn of the twentieth century, this area of town was developed as a shopping area as commercial activity spread outward from its early roots in Gastown. As the young city grew, so did its commercial district. It was the home of several hotels, lodgings, and small retail outlets which were established to serve the growing blue-collar population.

Built in 1912 for James Borland by architects Parr and Fee, who designed many early Vancouver buildings, this building was first known as the Hotel Maple until 1935. The hotel's name changed to the Hastings Hotel in the 1930s and finally the Washington Hotel in the 1940s. Borland was a pioneer who arrived in Vancouver in 1888 and later became a well-known building agent. The hotel's fine finishes would indicate that it catered to tourists and business travellers who were expected after the completion of the Canadian Northern Railway and the Panama Canal. In addition to providing accommodation, the Hotel Maple also offered services including a pool room, a gentleman's clothing outlet, and a restaurant, all catering to the largely male travelling public. The real estate agency on the main floor was well-placed to deal with the boom which mirrored the city's economic prosperity.

There is also value in the architectural design, which reflects the changing public taste from the ornate decoration of the late Victorian period to the more refined ornament of the Edwardian era. The symmetrical front facade and the overhanging cornice on two facades are similar to other hotels and office buildings in the area. This tall building overshadows its neighbour, illustrating the 'sawtooth' skyline prevalent in the Hastings Street strip.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the historic place include:
- rectangular form and massing and impressive scale
- built on a narrow footprint right to the lot line with no setbacks
- its functional relationship with other buildings within the Hastings Street strip and adjoining neighbourhoods
- its location on an alley
- characteristics of the Edwardian commercial style including: buff brick cladding, terra cotta lintels, marble and copper covering on ground floor, sheet metal cornice with dentils
- mosaic tile floor in entry
- continued ground floor use as retail space
- continued use of upper storeys as transient accommodation