Illustration by Bernie Lyon. Story and photography by Lee Bacchus.
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Hotel Vancouver

With matronly elegance, the mother – or grandmother – of urban romance turns 70

It may be the time of year when media hearts turn to obligatory lists of Valentine’s Day getaways.

But the mother – or grandmother – of urban romance arguably looms right in front of us. The Hotel Vancouver (officially, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver) turns 70 in May and the imposing gargoyle-festooned structure still exudes a matronly elegance and old-world charm.

Not unlike some current development projects, the Hotel Van was born into an economic crisis and suffered growing pains. Construction on this, the third incarnation of the grand hotel (the first was destroyed by fire, the second demolished), began in 1929 but was suspended due to the economic slap in the face incurred by the Great Depression.

Ten years later, however, work resumed and the hotel was rushed to completion for the May 1939 royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. But its sophisticated ambience really was fashioned a year later in 1940, when Vancouverites were swept away by local music legend Dal Richards, who began conducting big-band CBC broadcasts and dances from the Panorama Room on the top floor of the hotel. It was a tradition that was muted in 1965 – but its glamorous ghosts still seem to linger in the hotel’s polished aura.