Pennsylvania Hotel

The Pennsylvania Hotel (a.k.a. Hotel Pennsylvania, Woods Hotel, Portland Hotel) – built in 1906 as the Woods Hotel for J.S. and Eliza Woods – was one of the first major hotels to be built on Hastings Street. One of the city’s better establishments, this hotel accommodated wealthy travellers and commercial businessmen, rather than the seasonal workers who lived in less elaborate hotels and lodgings in the area.
It served a combined function, providing commercial space on the ground floor and lodging rooms on the upper floors, contributing to the lively street life in downtown Vancouver.

Over time, as the business district shifted further west, the east side of downtown went into economic decline, and for many years the Pennsylvania Hotel provided low cost housing for the area’s residents. The location of the hotel represents the nexus of the transportation network that served Edwardian-era Vancouver and the surrounding region. Built across the street from the B.C. Electric Railway Co. offices station, this allowed for a connection between downtown Vancouver and the people and goods of the Fraser Valley.

Designed by William T. Whiteway, the Pennsylvania Hotel is but one of several high profile buildings he designed, including Woodward’s Department Store, and the World (Sun) Tower.

Source

Canada's Historic Places, VHF Files, Vancouver Building Permits

More information

http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=5095&pid=0