631-645 Yates Street

Downtown Victoria Tour

Yates Street – 600 Block

631-645 Yates Street

631-645 Yates Street is a legal consolidation of two separate heritage buildings. The building on the west, at the southeast corner of Yates Street and Broad Street, was designed and built in 1885 by architect Thomas Trounce for British investor Thomas Galpin and was originally occupied by a hardware dealer, Nicholles & Renouf. The building to the east, fronting onto Yates Street, was built in 1891 by architect John Teague for the B.C. Land & Investment Agency, and was originally used as a hotel called the New York House.

By 1901 the B.C. Land and Investment Agency had acquired the western building, built in 1885 by Thomas Trounce, and had legally consolidated both buildings into a single building, which was occupied by the King Edward Hotel.

These two buildings are listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places under the name King Edward Hotel.

631-645 Yates Street (photo by Victoria Online Sightseeing Tours)

Here is a map showing the location of 631-645 Yates Street:

Here is a Google Street View image of 631-645 Yates Street:

Additional Information About 631-645 Yates Street:

• Assessed Value (July 2018): $9,877,000; Land: $3,758,000; Buildings: $6,119,000
• Assessed Value (July 2017): $9,005,000; Land: $3,548,000; Buildings: $5,457,000
• Assessed Value (July 2016): $8,554,000; Land: $3,374,000; Buildings: $5,181,000
• Assessed Value (July 2015): $7,623,000; Land: $2,908,000; Buildings: $4,715,000
• Canadian Register of Historic Places
• Victoria Hallmark Society
• Victoria Heritage Foundation

A Brief History of 631-645 Yates Street

631-645 Yates Street is a legal consolidation of two separate heritage buildings. The building on the west, at the southeast corner of Yates Street and Broad Street, was designed and built in 1885 by architect Thomas Trounce as a two storey commercial building for British investor Thomas Galpin. It was originally occupied by a hardware dealer, Nicholles & Renouf, and is still referred to by architectural historians as the Nicholles & Renouf building.

The building to the east, fronting onto Yates Street, was built in 1891 by architect John Teague for the B.C. Land & Investment Agency, and was originally used as a hotel called the New York House.

By 1901 the B.C. Land and Investment Agency had also acquired the western building, built in 1885 by Thomas Trounce, and had legally consolidated both buildings into a single building, which was occupied by the King Edward Hotel.

In 1906 the B.C. Land and Investment Agency retained architect Francis Rattenbury to design what is now the third storey of the Nicholles & Renouf building at the southeast corner of Yates Street and Broad Street.

These two buildings are listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places under the name King Edward Hotel.

Here are links to some historic photographs of 621-645 Yates Street:

• BC Archives photo B-04320 – Nicholles & Renouf circa 1891-1900. Note that this photo shows the original 2 storye building before the 3 storey was added in 1906
• BC Archives photo B-09144 – A room in the King Edward Hotel, circa 1912
• City of Victoria Archives photo M01396 – 1961
• City of Victoria Archives photo M01472 – 1961

The image below shows an 1880’s advertisement for Nicholles & Renouf, which shows the original 1885 Thomas Trounce building on this site. This building is still part of the current structure.

The original 1880’s building at what is now 631 Yates Street, on the southeast corner of Yates Street and Broad Street (Victoria Online Sightseeing Tours collection)

Here are some Historic Advertisements for businesses which have been located in 631-645 Yates Street:

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