Hotel Vancouver (1888)

The Hotel Vancouver, operational from 1888 to 1913, was the city's first grand hotel, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway and designed by Thomas Charles Sorby. Initially intended to be a larger structure, it was scaled back due to cost constraints and opened in a simplified shingle style. An addition by Francis Rattenbury in 1893 was stylistically unconnected. By the early 1900s, the hotel was deemed inadequate, leading to a design competition won by Rattenbury, although his plans were not fully realized. In 1912, a new design by Francis S. Swales was commissioned, resulting in the demolition of the original hotel and the incorporation of part of Rattenbury's addition. The new Hotel Vancouver opened in 1916, marking a significant evolution in the city's hospitality landscape.