The Steveston Hotel is a “garbage building” with “no architectural value.”
This was the assessment of Kanaris Demetre Lazos of the oldest hotel in Richmond, originally the Sockeye Hotel.
But long gone are the historical architectural features of the building. It’s now a nondescript rectangular building with vinyl siding, small windows that can’t be expanded and no elevator.
Lazos told city council that the building’s heritage status, whereby nothing can be changed on the exterior without a heritage alteration permit, stops the owner from making it into a successful business.
“Every time we’ve tried to do something, we’re restricted by the word ‘heritage,’” he told city council on Monday.
While people come to stay at the hotel, Lazos said it’s not because of its heritage value or esthetic appeal.
“It looks cheap and it has cheap rates and that’s why they come,” Lazos said. “They don’t come because it’s a beautiful building.”
In fact, Lazos suggested the building should be demolished and something modern built in its place so that it could be profitable as a business.
The Sockeye Hotel was built in 1894 and is still referred to by BC Assessment as a "beer parlour."
Currently, it houses the Buck & Ear pub and hotel rooms. The owner previously indicated they plan to convert the pub into five hotel rooms.
The property and building are assessed at just under $7 million.
After the presentation, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie referred the item to city staff to look into.
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