The Hotel Vancouver is a name that's been reused a bit.
The one that stands in the city's core was built between 1928 and 1939 (thanks in part to the Great Depression causing a work stoppage lasting five years). Before that, a grand hotel that was built in 1916 had the name but was located a little further down West Georgia, at its intersection with Granville.
And before that one came the first Hotel Vancouver.
Built in 1887 and 1888, it was a towering structure in the young city (that had just survived a devastating fire). The 60-room brick building was massive for the city, and also far from the core (which was still in Gastown at the time).
While nowadays the view from the top of the Hotel Vancouver is far above the ground, it's not exactly looking down on the surrounding structures. In the late 1880s, that was a different situation. These three photos from the city archives capture that young city.
These archival photos show the views guests would have had, looking out over the young city towards the harbour as early settlers moved in. In one of the photos, a wooden ship can be seen moored in Coal Harbour, while in another the masts of a huge wooden ship can be seen poking up above the houses sitting on the waterfront, near where Canada Place is now.
The photos also show an unusual feature of Vancouver's early days: raised sidewalks.
Then there's the forest which is everywhere. In the distance, North Vancouver is nothing but a few buildings on the shore, with the North Shore Mountains covered in thick forest. To the east, it's much the same, as several blocks of houses end suddenly with tall trees.
