Description of Historic Place

The Colonial Metropole Hotel is a three-storey brick building located on the south side of Johnson Street. It features arched bays and decorative brickwork above its third-storey windows, and a stylized 'false-front' parapet bearing the words 'Colonial Metropole' and the date '1892'. It is the only historic building on this side of lower Johnson Street with unpainted upper storeys.

Heritage Value

The Colonial Metropole Hotel is valued as an important part of the historic architecture of Victoria's Old Town District, and as a part of the city's heritage conservation and downtown revitalization history.

The Colonial Metropole Hotel is a significant example of hotel architecture executed by noted Victoria architect John Teague. Like the nearby Oriental and New England hotels, also by Teague, this building is an important part of the historic district which was the heart of Victoria's saloon trade, catering primarily to sailors, miners, and loggers in the booming years of the late nineteenth century. As an expansion of the former Colonial Hotel next door to the east at 547-555 Johnson Street, the Colonial Metropole Hotel is also representative of the commercial success of its proprietor, Thomas Tugwell.

Architecturally, the Colonial Metropole Hotel is notable for its accentuated verticality. In comparison with nearby hotel architecture of a similar vintage, this building illustrates a shift away from Italianate design towards a more modern aesthetic, and is representative of the evolution of Victoria as it became a modern city.

This historic place is also valued as an important part of the city's heritage conservation history. As the first downtown heritage building to be developed into rental accommodation, the Colonial Metropole set an important precedent in Old Town rehabilitation and revitalization, which perpetuates the heritage of picturesque streetscapes and promotes urban livability. This building is also important to Victoria's heritage because it is integral to the continuity of the historic lower Johnson streetscape, made up of a unique collection of revitalized and rehabilitated heritage buildings.

Source: City of Victoria Planning and Development Department

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Colonial Metropole Hotel include:
- The contribution of the building, throught its massing and design, to the historic streetscape.
- The sense of verticality of the building, accentuated by such elements as the tall parapet cornice, and the four arched bays.
- The lettering in the parapet cornice identifying the building as 'Colonial Metropole' and the date '1892'.
- Elements of its street-front façade which date to the time of construction, such as the cast-iron columns in the storefront, and decorative brickwork in the upper-storey arches.
- Construction materials such as brick.
- The unpainted brick of the upper storeys.
- The commercial use of the historic streetscape.
- The sense of verticality of the building, accentuated by such elements as the tall parapet cornice, and the four arched bays.
- The lettering in the parapet cornice identifying the building as 'Colonial Metropole' and the date '1892'.
- Elements of its street-front facade which date to the time of construction, such as the cast-iron columns in the storefront, and decorative brickwork in the upper-storey arches.
- Construction materials such as brick.
- The unpainted brick of the upper storeys.
- The commercial use of the street level units.
- Surviving interior elements which date to its original construction, such as balustrades and other woodwork.
- Elements of its 1984 rehabilitation, including upper-storey residential units, the rear balcony, and rooftop sundecks
- Its use as residences in its upper storeys, and physical elements of the building which relate to that use, such as its relationship to the alleyway at rear via Waddington Alley.