Description of Historic Place

The Commercial Hotel is a four-storey Edwardian Classical masonry building, with decorative details. It is located mid-block, on the south side of Columbia Street, the main commercial street in New Westminster's historic downtown core, and runs through the full width of the block, with a four-storey frontage on Front Street.

Heritage Value

The Commercial Hotel is significant for its contribution to the consistent and distinctive built form of Columbia and Front Streets, which dates from 1898 to 1913, when New Westminster was the major centre of commerce and industry for the booming Fraser Valley area. This structure incorporates the two-storey Occidental Hotel that was constructed on this site in 1899 after the Great Fire. In 1913, the building was acquired by A.O. Hansen and G. Swanson. The facade of the Occidental Hotel was demolished and the rest of the structure was completely redesigned to allow for the construction of the larger four storey Commercial Hotel.

Additionally, the Commercial Hotel is valued for its sophisticated architecture. The design of the front facade demonstrates the pervasive influence of classicism during the Edwardian era. Despite its relatively modest size, the contrasting keystones, paired brackets, cornices and decorative panels, surmounted by a large garland, create a formal and imposing presence along Columbia Street. The use of precast concrete as a trim material also indicates a shift in technology away from the more expensive stone or terra cotta that was common at the time. This hotel was designed by Gardiner and Mercer, who were one of the most enduring and prolific architectural firms in the province in the early half of the twentieth century. A partnership of Francis George Gardiner (1878-1966) and Andrew Lamb Mercer (1878-1959), the firm was originally based in New Westminster and designed many of the landmark buildings along Columbia Street.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of New Westminster

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Commercial Hotel include its:
- location with frontages on both Columbia and Front Streets, part of a grouping of late Victorian and Edwardian era commercial buildings in historic downtown New Westminster
- siting on the property lines, with no setbacks
- symmetrical form, four-storey plus lower level height, flat roof and cubic massing
- masonry construction, including pressed red brick on front facade, precast concrete trim, brick cladding on rear facade facing Front Street, and common brick side walls
- Classical Revival design features, including: tripartite facade articulation; cornice with paired brackets; string courses; garland at front parapet; geometric insets; projecting sills with brackets; cornice above storefront; and banded pilasters flanking the storefront with decorative capitals
- original double-hung 1-over-1 wooden-sash windows in the front facade