Developer seeks to turn art deco building in downtown Victoria into compact hotel

A downtown Victoria office building that looks like it was plucked from a Wes Anderson film could soon be turned into a hotel.

The four-storey building sits on Blanshard Street and Fairfield Road. It was once home to the BC Power Commission, which later became BC Hydro.

Built in 1949, the design comes from the art deco movement that exploded in the 1920s. The architectural style is characterized by bold colours, geometric motifs and modern materials.

“It’s sort of sitting here a little bit faded and unnoticed,” said Jon Stovell, president of developer Reliance Properties.

“When we bring it back to life, it’s going to be this little jewel sitting in the middle of all these much larger hotels.”

The building is currently used as office and studio space for artists.

Reliance hopes to add a single storey and preserve much of the building’s facade. It’s flat and symmetrical, with murals and stripes painted in muted blues and earthy orange hues.

Inside, some spaces maintain the original character, including the office of the commission’s former chairman.

A plaque inside the round room explains the wall panelling is made with a primavera veneer imported from Mexico. The geometric inlays are zebrawood from West Africa and pomelle mahogany from Central America.

“This room will be retained perfectly and become part of the bar area of the new hotel,” Stovell told CTV News.

Other details will also be preserved, including a stairwell featuring a cast-iron railing that spells out BCP — an homage to the BC Power Commission.

Reliance acquired the property in 2019, initially proposing a smaller hotel with a 16-storey condo tower on top.

“That proved to be very uneconomic after COVID,” Stovell said. “We also weren’t able to obtain heritage incentives for that larger-scale addition.”

The developer has since submitted its revised plans to the city and applied for a heritage alteration permit. Stovell hopes the permit will be approved by the end of the year and construction could begin soon after.

He said the hotel rooms would be compact, which would lend itself to a more affordable price point for visitors.

“We’re completely surrounded by hotels,” he said. “If there’s going to be a place where you’re going to put some new hotel rooms, this is kind of hotel ground zero.”

Stovell is part of a hotel development working group struck by Destination Greater Victoria last year.

The group recently determined the region needs 2,000 hotel rooms in the next decade to keep up with demand. That would bring Greater Victoria’s total supply to about 6,500 rooms.

City councillor and downtown neighbourhood liaison Dave Thompson said he’s happy to see Reliance’s application come forward.

“A lot of the office workers who used to be downtown are just not there anymore,” Thompson said.

“So small businesses, restaurants and cafes really need a boost. The more tourism we can fit in there, the better.”