Cordage (Roberts) Building

This residential building built in 1911 by architect Hugh Braunton, replaced on older section of the Granville Hotel, which had connected to the Grand Hotel to the west. Its elegant Edwardian and Classical Revival design stood out from its neighbours: distinctive white glazed brick – a simpler alternative to terra cotta – capped by decorative capitals.

The original owner was Thomas Roberts, a prominent hotelier in the early years, who also owned the Grand Hotel. He met an untimely death at age 42, murdered by a masked bandit who held up a poker game on Jervis Street in the West End.

The building became known as the Cordage Building, named after the Canada Western Cordage Company, a maker of rope, lines and twines for industrial uses. Its sales and general offices were here from 1931 to 1971.

Source

City of Vancouver Heritage Plaque Program, Canada's Historic Places

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2344