115-year-old Vancouver building at risk of 'catastrophic' collapse

Built in 1909, Vancouver's Dunsmuir House at the corner of Dunsmuir and Richards streets has been a grand hotel, a barracks for soldiers and a shelter, but for the past 11 years, it's been vacant, not maintained, and now so worn-down, the city says it's a public-safety hazard.

City councillors will convene a special meeting Wednesday afternoon to consider a staff report asking them to declare the property at 500 Dunsmuir Street a danger to public safety, with its removal the appropriate course of action.

"Because of the extremely deteriorated and weakened state of the structure in the southeast corner, the walls there are not laterally supported," reads a report from the city's chief building official (CBO).

"Should another floor in that corner collapse, it may cause a partial failure of the masonry wall or lead to a catastrophic, cascading collapse."

The property, constructed of brick and wood, is across the street from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary along a busy thoroughfare. It was built in 1909 and has a currently assessed value of $8.1 million.

'Useless building'

Passersby told CBC News they often wondered why the building had been left in such a dilapidated condition for so long without development or refurbishment.

Some agreed that it looked dangerous and should probably be demolished. Some worried about its heritage value, while others, such as film student Kelso Lenz, said it should be quickly converted into much-needed housing.

"It's just kind of a useless building, in my opinion," he said. "There's so many schools around here, it would be great to have more student housing."

The CBO's 32-page report, with many photos showing extensive damage, says the building is too far gone to be saved. It has severe water damage and "pigeon-guano inches deep in places," with its structure severely compromised.

"The observed conditions suggest the building has not been adequately maintained since it was vacated."

The owner of the Dunsmuir House is Holborn Properties, the Vancouver developer mostly known for its fraught Little Mountain development, which languished for more than a decade after hundreds of social housing residents were displaced.

In a statement to CBC News, Lee Medd, director of asset management for the company, said it is committed to "acting responsibly in the best interests of public safety, the community, and the future of this site."

Medd did not say what would replace Dunsmuir House or when that would happen but that it has had "long-held intentions to redevelop this location."

It said the future of 500 Dunsmuir Street would include "a broader vision for revitalization to the benefit of the community. We remain committed to this process."

'A real pity'

Vancouver civic historian John Atkin, who is also a heritage consultant, said a much earlier intervention could have used the old but unique structure to create something new.

"And we would have still had this grand reminder of the early city married to something new," he told CBC News. "But again, the whole site that the developer owns has just been, well, they haven't done anything with it. And that's a real pity."

If council approves the plan laid out by staff, it would require Holborn to take action in 21 days. If it does not, the city would step in and undertake the demolition and then recover its costs.

One councillor says she's upset about getting involved at this late hour.

On X, Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung called the issue "incredibly frustrating."

She wrote that the city has "such little remaining heritage. This makes me angry. I'll be asking a lot of questions at council to get the full facts."

All the rooms in the building are designated as single-room accommodations under the city's Single Room Accommodation bylaw.

The announcement from the city's chief building official sparked reaction on social media, with some posters wanting councillors to investigate charging $300,000 per unit for the removal from the housing index of the building's 167 units.

The penalty is meant to preserve affordable housing in the city.

 Dunsmuir House is listed in the city's heritage registry but is not subject to heritage protection, said the city report.