This is a pictorial post of crops based on some terrific images made of the Old Hotel Vancouver (1916) by Don Coltman in April 1948.
Judging from the titles given the original images, I take it that these were commissioned by T. Eaton Co. — the corporate caretaker of the property (as well as the adjacent York Hotel and International Cinema) until the giant downtown Eaton’s store occupied the space in 1972 (to be succeeded by Sears and then by Nordstrom’s).
There were at least two major major occupants of the Old HV in its final months: the Citizen’s Rehabilitation Council (which housed veterans of WWII) and the National Employment Service (aka the Unemployment Insurance Commission). There was a UIC “women’s entrance” on Howe and a “men’s entrance” on Granville Street (why two entries were considered necessary, I don’t know). The CRC entry seemed to be the former main entry to the Old HV on Georgia Street.













Nine months after the original images were taken on which the above crops were based, the end of January 1949, the wreckers came on site and proceeded to demolish the Old HV.
My wife can recall this building. She says the color was brown, I would have imagined red.
Well, if you believe the colours on this postcard, the Old HV was about the same shade as the courthouse/VAG: https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/hotel-vancouver-giant-flag-pole-210-ft-and-court-house-vancouver-b-c
Joseph – According to another eye-witness of the Old HV, its colour was NOT that of the courthouse. She fully agrees with your wife’s assessment that it was brown.
Superb! We were such idiots to let these get bulldozed. Maurice
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You are so right, Maurice!
I remember the time and place well. Eatons bought the old hotel and tore it down to make it a parking lot downtown they ran a bus to the Hastings St. store. I think it was about that time when the York Hotel Tudor Rose showed up.