Description of Historic Place

The Brunswick Pool Room is a two-storey red brick Edwardian commercial structure located on East Hastings Street in Vancouver. It consists of three storefronts on the main floor with residential accommodation above.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Brunswick Pool Room lies in the historic relationship between this area and the economy of early Vancouver. At the turn of the twentieth century, this part of the city was developed as a shopping area, as commercial activity spread outward from its early roots in Gastown. As the young city grew, so did its commercial district. While the retail district was expanding along Granville Street, East Hastings Street was the home of a second retail strip. It was the home of several hotels, lodgings, and small retail outlets, which were established to serve the growing blue-collar population.

Architect Hugh Astley Hodgson designed this building in 1911 as the Brunswick Pool Room for Con Jones, a founder of a chain of tobacco shops. This is one of the few examples of Hodgson's early buildings. The heritage value of the structure rests in its modest Edwardian design. Although small in stature, it reflects several features of the surrounding larger buildings, including the use of brick, cast iron and mosaic tiles. It speaks to the evolving building technology and to the shift in social structure and economy that occurred at the turn of the century. Sited as it is between a four-storey structure to the east and a nine-storey hotel to the west, the building exemplifies the 'sawtooth' skyline prevalent in the Hastings Street corridor.

Con Jones was known for the advertising slogan for his tobacco outlet - 'Don't Argue' - which was shown in two locations on the building's facade. Jones was notweorthy for his investment in recreational facilities, including a billiard room, a lacrosse team and a park. With tenants such as a pool room, tobacco shop and restaurant, the Brunswick Pool Room has long catered to the needs of nearby residents.

In 1916, the western portion of the building - 20 East Hastings Street - became the home of the Vancouver Oyster Saloon. The use of this address as a seafood restaurant continues with the present tenant, The Only Seafoods Fish and Oyster Café (founded by the Todas Brothers in 1924). The interior is remarkably intact, as is a superb 1940s neon sign, which marks the restaurant entrance.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Brunswick Pool Room include:
- the functional relationship between this building and others in the Hastings Street corridor
- its low horizontal form and prominent roofline
- characteristics of the Edwardian commercial style, including the pattern of fenestration on the second storey, two pairs of side windows with segmented arches, corbelled window brackets under sandstone sills, recessed cement panel in upper brick parapet, pattern of storefronts on the main floor, doors and windows
- round and hexagonal-shaped mosaic tiles in the entrance floor
- neon sign
- significant features of the interior, including the pressed tin ceiling, plaster moulding, and counter-style seating
- continued use of the ground floor as a restaurant