Abrams Block

There has been a hotel on this site since Vancouver’s earliest days. The Tremont Hotel was a popular watering hole before it was destroyed in the 1886 Great Fire. It reopened just days later as a crude shack, but by 1887 the owners had rebuilt their hotel. They must have liked the original’s Italianate style (window pediments and brackets) because the new building was almost identical in appearance to the original but this time in brick.

In the 1887 Vancouver directory the Tremont was advertised as “the only brick hotel in the city… the bar is equipped with the best brands of imported wines, liquors and cigars. C.L. Carter (Louis), Proprietor”.

The exterior detail is interesting because it was constructed in wood, a departure from the usual galvanized tin seen on nearby buildings. A wooden balcony, typical of frontier hotels, running the full width was replaced by the small iron balconies installed during a major renovation.

Source

Canada's Historic Places, Historic Map Guide Carrall St. Greenway (VHF)

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/fr/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2512&pid=0