Expect major closures of busy arterial roads in downtown Vancouver to enable the safe demolition of the dilapidated former Dunsmuir House SRO building.
On December 18, 2024, due to its high risk of a catastrophic structural collapse, Vancouver City Council endorsed the City’s chief building inspector’s recommendation to order the demolition of the abandoned five-storey building at 500 Dunsmuir Street within 21 days.
Today, the municipal government announced the demolition process would begin on Friday, January 17, 2025, and reach completion by the morning of Monday, January 20, if all goes as planned. Preparatory work will begin on Friday, and active demolition will begin on Saturday.
Hotel Dunsmuir SRO at 500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)[/caption]
500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
Last month, as part of its decision, City Council directed City staff to explore the feasibility of preserving some of the 1909-built building’s heritage features, specifically the unique cornices of its rooftop line.
However, today, the City states that a third-party demolition consultant expects that removing the cornices would take about 14 months, with such a drastically extended demolition timeline posing significant safety risks given that the structure could collapse at any time due to its extremely poor condition.
“The City is disappointed that the owners of Dunsmuir House, a building with significant heritage value, neglected the building to the point where demolition became the only viable option to ensure public safety,” reads the City’s statement today.
“Property owners have a responsibility to maintain their buildings, and allowing a property to fall into disrepair and become a hazard to public safety is unacceptable. The City is exploring stronger measures to prevent the neglect of vacant buildings by private owners.”
Road closures will occur on the segments of Dunsmuir Street between Homer and Seymour streets, and Richards Street between West Georgia streets and West Pender streets. The road closures will begin on the afternoon of Friday, January 17, and last until the morning of Monday, January 20.
500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (Google Maps)
Both roads are major arterial routes through downtown Vancouver. The City is recommending that those travelling by vehicle allow for extra travel time during road closures. Sidewalk access to adjacent businesses will be maintained.
Previously an SRO building with 167 units, the “Hotel Dunsmuir” building, originally a tourist hotel, was made vacant in 2013 due to its poor living conditions at the time. Holborn Properties previously intended to retain the building as a heritage component of its future major redevelopment of most of the city block, including the Hudson’s Bay parkade.
According to City staff, the rooftop has been ponding water due to lack of maintenance, with significant water entering the building and causing immense structural damage. Conditions have been described as extremely precarious inside the building, with photos showing collapsed internal floors and a highly advanced state of deterioration of the wood structure.
Dangerous condition of 500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (ADB Structural Engineering/City of Vancouver)
Dangerous condition of 500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (ADB Structural Engineering/City of Vancouver)
Dangerous condition of 500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (ADB Structural Engineering/City of Vancouver)
Dangerous condition of 500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (ADB Structural Engineering/City of Vancouver)
Dangerous condition of 500 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. (ADB Structural Engineering/City of Vancouver)