Description of Historic Place

The Janion Hotel is a three-storey, freestanding brick commercial building located between Store Street and the Inner Harbour, north of the Johnson Street Bridge. It can be identified by a projecting central bay of windows on the second and third storeys, and by the prominent name plate stating "Janion 1891" above the third storey windows.

Heritage Value

The Janion Hotel is valued as a time capsule of the history of the evolving commercial activities which developed the City of Victoria. Although it only functioned in its original capacity for two years, this prominent freestanding building is an excellent example of the numerous brick hotels which were erected in Victoria in the late years of the nineteenth century in response to prosperity brought about by the city's status as the provincial capital, chief port, and terminus of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E & N) Railway.

The location of the hotel is integral to its heritage value, as it led to a succession of both functional and physical changes throughout its history. Having had such functions as the business office of the E & N Railway, a warehouse for B. Wilson & Co. Storage, a cold storage facility for the B.C. Cold Storage, Ice and Produce Company, and the facility for Lake of the Woods Milling Company, the Janion Hotel is a chronicle of the evolving nature of commerce associated with Victoria's relationship to tourism, trade, and its surrounding natural resources.

Although the Janion Hotel has survived in a derelict condition for a number of years, it is significant that it retains numerous physical elements pertaining to its original function as a high-quality hotel, as well as evidence of its numerous other functions throughout its considerable history.

Source: City of Victoria Planning and Development Dept.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Janion Hotel include:
- Its prominent waterfront location and juxtaposition to the E & N Railway.
- Its freestanding stature and substantial three-storey massing.
- Its distinctive exterior elements, including the projecting central bays of windows on the second and third storeys.
- Authentic nineteenth-century storefronts.
- Elements relevant to its original function as a hotel, including the 'Janion 1891' nameplate on the street-front facade, numerous wooden-sash double-hung windows on the front and side facades, and any extant authentic interior features.
- Evidence of its multi-faceted use over time, seen in alterations made to accommodate a variety of commercial functions.
- The integrity of the side and rear brick walls, which contribute to the integrity of the nineteenth-century building envelope.
- Views to and from the building and the water.