New hotel proposal aims to bring historic Westholme name back to downtown Victoria core

A long-vacant, fire-damaged corner of downtown Victoria could soon see new life, as a locally based developer moves ahead with early plans for a landmark hotel.

The corner of Pandora Avenue and Government Street has been a quiet reminder of loss in downtown Victoria for years, a boarded fence around a fire-damaged site that most people walk past without a second thought.

Now, a local company says it wants to change that.

Redbrick is in the early stages of planning a new hotel for the long-vacant 603 Pandora Ave. site, with a proposal that would revive and bring new life to one of the city’s most visible downtown intersections.

The project, called Westholme, is still at the concept stage, with no renderings or formal design plans released. But the vision is rooted in the site’s past, specifically the original Westholme Hotel, which first opened in 1911 and once served as both accommodation and a gathering place for locals in the heart of Victoria.

Redbrick CEO Tobyn Sowden says the location has always held personal and symbolic meaning for the company, which has operated downtown since its early days.

“This site is very near and dear to my heart,” Sowden said in an interview. “It’s a place we walk past every day. It’s really the centre of everything for us.”

The property has sat fenced off since a fire destroyed the previous building in 2019. Redbrick finalized its acquisition of the site in late 2025 and is now working with Victoria developer Aryze Developments and design consultants to shape an early concept.

While details such as height, room count and design remain undecided, the company says the goal is to create a modern hotel that reflects both the history of the site and its role in a rapidly changing downtown.

“It wasn’t just a place to go and sleep and stay as a guest in Victoria, it was also where the locals wanted to hang out. It had a restaurant that seated 600 people and space for an orchestra. It was really woven into the social fabric of this town and, and we want to bring that back,” he said.

The location sits at a key junction between Victoria’s Inner Harbour tourist corridor and emerging cultural districts, including the Arts and Innovation area and nearby Chinatown, a position planners say makes it a strategic spot for additional hotel capacity.

City and regional studies have identified a shortfall of thousands of hotel rooms over the next decade, something proponents of the project say developments like Westholme could help address by adding year-round visitor accommodation in the core.

Redbrick is currently seeking public input as part of early engagement, with a project website now live and community feedback sessions expected ahead of any rezoning application.

For now, the company says the focus is not on what the building will look like, but on what it should mean to the city when it returns.