Crews in downtown Vancouver are demolishing a more than century-old heritage building that the city鈥檚 chief building official says is so badly damaged it is at risk of collapse.
The building at 500 Dunsmuir St., commonly known as Dunsmuir House, was built in 1909 initially as a hotel. It has also served as barracks for sailors in the Second World War, a Salvation Army home for veterans and later social housing, but has been empty since 2013.
Last month the city ordered that the building owned by Holborn Properties come down, declaring it a danger to public safety 鈥渄ue to severe structural deterioration.鈥�
The city said last week it was disappointed the owners 鈥渘eglected the building to the point where demolition became the only viable option to ensure public safety.鈥�
Saul Schwebs, Vancouver鈥檚 chief building official, told reporters Saturday that the structure is in that condition due to a lack of maintenance and that a roof leak led to severe rot, which caused the ground floor on the southeast corner to fall into the basement.
The building鈥檚 unreinforced basement walls rely on the flooring for lateral support, he said, and without it the structure is unstable.
鈥淚f anything else more falls in there, if another piece of the floor falls on a different level, that could bring part of the wall with it, and it would be a catastrophic, cascading collapse without warning,鈥� he said.
Holborn Properties said in a statement Saturday that a report it commissioned in mid-October 2024 concluded that while the building should not be occupied, it was not a public safety hazard nor had to be demolished right away.
鈥淲e understand the city鈥檚 building inspector has a contrary opinion on the structural integrity of the building,鈥� the statement said.
鈥淔rom the outset, we have had plans to redevelop this location, incorporating 500 Dunsmuir Street into a broader vision for revitalization that would benefit the community and we remain committed to this process.鈥�
The company, which is paying the cost of the demolition, said it submitted redevelopment proposals to the city three times since BC Housing ceased operation at Dunsmuir House in 2013, but that none have been successful.
It said it鈥檚 focused on the future of the site and 鈥渋ncorporating it into a plan that addresses community needs.鈥�
Schwebs said the city initially wanted to save some of the building鈥檚 components, including the facade or the cornice, but that would have taken too long given the risk to the public.
鈥淯nfortunately, we can鈥檛 save anything, which is really not a good outcome for this building,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e鈥檒l get it down safely, and I鈥檒l be happy that the risk to the public has been mitigated, but the fact that we鈥檙e losing this building today is not a good outcome for the city.鈥�
The building, which is on the city鈥檚 heritage registry, is expected to be demolished by late Sunday or early Monday morning though Schwebs said it will take months for the pile of rubble to be removed.
