Description of Historic Place

310 West Cordova Street is a modestly scaled two-storey Edwardian commercial building in Vancouver’s historic Gastown district.

Heritage Value

The value of 310 West Cordova Street, built as a restaurant between 1913 and 1914, lies in its historic relationship between this area and the economy of early Vancouver, and as part of the historic commercial streetscape. Originally known as the Index Restaurant, the building became known as the Washington Café in 1916, and was typical of the structures that were constructed to house the many businesses that serviced the growing population of the area. As one of three cafes in close proximity, The Washington Café served the culinary needs of many travelers to the area and residents of nearby hotels.

There is also significance in the relatively unadorned architectural styling of 310 West Cordova Street. This type of two- or three-storey facade is common in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century commercial structures and presents a contrast to the larger buildings and their highly decorated facades to the east on Hastings Street.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the historic place include:
- its relationship with other buildings within the Gastown historic district
- built to the lot line with no setbacks
- characteristics of the Edwardian commercial style including: simple brick and stone construction; deep sheet metal cornice with elaborate decorated and painted brackets at each end; three vertical sash windows with deep headers on the second level; masonry detailing, such as string courses and stone bands, which line up on either side with 302 and 316 West Cordova; and the central splayed entry to ground floor retail stores
- continued use a a restaurant