Description of Historic Place

The New England Hotel is a four-storey Victorian Romanesque building, located on Government Street.

Heritage Value

The New England Hotel is an excellent example of late nineteenth century state-of-the-art architecture. Built in 1892 as a forty room luxury hotel and the site of the New England Restaurant (which was famous on the west coast of North America at the time), this building is a unique hybrid of technologically advanced, Sullivanesque design and evocative Victorian Romanesque detailing. Designed by noted architect John Teague, the value of this design lies in its open facade and particularly narrow verticality - made possible by the early use of cast iron structural piers - and its exterior facade highlighted by the use of arches, bay windows, decorative columns, and a triangular pediment on its cornice. The unique appearance of this early hotel sets it apart from other historic hotels in the vicinity. Additionally, the location of the New England Hotel is significant, as it reflects the early grandeur of Government Street as the first major commercial and financial artery of the city.

Source: City of Victoria Planning and Development Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the New England Hotel include:
- the considerable difference in height between this building and its adjacent neighbours;
- the verticality, accentuated by tall narrow windows, and pilasters which extend beyond the cornice and are capped by simple finials;
- the cast-iron elements such as structural piers and angled bay windows;
- the Victorian Romanesque elements such as arched windows, decorative belt courses, triangular pediment at the cornice, and the polychromatic finish.