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Plaza Hotel

405 Victoria Street, Kamloops, British Columbia, V2C, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2007/10/30

Exterior view of the Plaza Hotel, 2007; City of Kamloops, 2007
Oblique view
Historic view of the Plaza Hotel, circa 1930; City of Kamloops, 2007
Oblique view
No Image

Other Name(s)

Plaza Hotel
Plaza Heritage Hotel

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1928/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/03/17

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Plaza Hotel is a five-storey, stucco-clad, Spanish Colonial Revival-style hotel situated on the southeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Victoria Street in Kamloops. It is a prominent landmark in the downtown core.

Heritage Value

The Plaza Hotel, built in 1928, is significant for its association with the Kamloops Boards of Trade, which promoted Kamloops as a tourist destination during the 1920s. The Plaza, which was intended to be the finest hotel in British Columbia’s interior, was seen as an essential city amenity that would appeal to the new influx of tourists travelling by motorcar. The Plaza remained popular, and by 1948 a 44-room expansion was underway. The Plaza remains in use today as one of the major hotels in the downtown area.

The Plaza Hotel is also valued as a superior example of Spanish Colonial Revival design by architect Ernest T. Brown (1876-1950), an English architect who had previously designed the Kamloops Lodge 44 of the Benevolent Order of the Elks in a similar style.

The Plaza is further valued as a testament to the abilities of local builders and craftsmen, and to the high quality materials that were available in Kamloops at the time. The contractors, Johnston & Company, led by William Henry Johnston (1864-1931), owned the Kamloops Brickyards and were among the leading contractors in the city.

Source: City of Kamloops Planning Department

Character-Defining Elements

Key characteristics that define the heritage character of the Plaza Hotel include its:
- location at the southeast corner of Victoria Street and Fourth Avenue in downtown Kamloops
- commercial form, scale and massing, as expressed by its five-storey height, rooftop patio, rectangular plan and projecting canopies
- construction materials, such as the rock-dash stucco on the exterior walls, metal pantile canopies and wrought-iron work, and wood construction, including wooden brackets
- Spanish Colonial Revival features, such as round arches at the ground floor and upper level, top-floor corner balconies with French doors with semi-circular transoms, and outdoor rooftop patio with open round arches
- early neon ‘Plaza Hotel’ sign
- windows, such as original storefronts at ground level and eight-over-one double-hung wooden-sash windows
- interior features, such as lobby with oak floors, dining room, original room configuration, open staircase with original balustrades and newel posts, plaster mouldings, and wooden trim
- 1948 addition, including rock-dash stucco exterior walls, windows including six-over-one double-hung wooden-sash windows in single and double assembly, and interior features including original room configurations
- continuous use as a hotel

Recognition

Jurisdiction

British Columbia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (BC)

Recognition Statute

Local Government Act, s.954

Recognition Type

Community Heritage Register

Recognition Date

2007/10/30

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Hotel, Motel or Inn

Historic

Architect / Designer

Ernest T. Brown

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

City of Kamloops Planning Department

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

EeRb-158

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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