Description du lieu patrimonial

This historic place is a three-storey masonry and stone Edwardian commercial structure at 322 Cambie Street on the east side of the street in the historic district of Gastown in Vancouver.

Valeur patrimoniale

322 Cambie Street is associated with Gastown's history as a mixed-use district. When the City of Vancouver became the entrepot between the Canadian Pacific Railway and trans-Pacific shipping in 1887, Gastown was its hub. The heritage value of 322 Cambie Street lies in the historic relationship between this area and the economy of early Vancouver. The Klondike gold rush of 1898-1900 heralded a boom that lasted with minor interruptions until the First World War.

Built in 1899, 322 Cambie Street represents the continuation of the commercial development of the major north-south corridor of Cambie Street from Gastown toward Hastings Street. This commercial building was initially occupied by professional offices, including that of W.T. Whiteway, the architect responsible for many buildings in the area, including Woodward's Department Store (101 West Hastings Street), 316 Water Street and 412 Carrall Street. Other tenants included Florence McAlpine, dentist, J.A.L. McAlpine, M.D., and two real estate agents. The ground floor accommodated Graveley Hope & Company, accountants, until 1910, when it was occupied by National Cash Register Company. By 1916, the building was known as the Commercial Hotel; the use of the upper storeys had changed from offices to accommodation and the financial centre of Vancouver shifted to the south and west. Since then, it has been occupied by transient accommodation and restaurants.

There is also value in the architectural design. The corner turret, which originally had a peak and finial, is truncated at the cornice line. The ornamentation reflects the changing public taste from the elaborate decoration of the Victorian period to the more restrained elements of the Edwardian era. It presents a contrast to both the earlier buildings in the Gastown area and the later 'high-rise' structures on West Hastings Street.

Source: City of Vancouver Heritage Conservation Program

Éléments caractéristiques

The heritage character of 322 Cambie Street is defined by the following elements:
- the relationship between this building and its neighbours within the Gastown historic district
- relationship to the adjacent Hotel Carlton with the same height of cornice
- its siting on the property line, with no setbacks
- form, scale and massing
- its corner location
- Edwardian architectural features including: prominent five-sided, five-windowed tower at the corner with the south lane, rusticated quoins to either side at ground level, narrow pilaster-defined bays, pattern of fenestration (one-over-one sash windows recessed in brickwork openings with moulded surrounds), and historic mosaic flooring at entry