Belleville Street intersects
Government Street – 700 block
The Empress Hotel – 721 Government Street
The Empress Hotel is one of Victoria’s ;leading landmarks.
It was originally built between 1904 and 1908 by architect Francis Rattenbury for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Inner Harbour Causeway – 700 Government Street
The Inner Harbour Causeway was originally built between 1903-1904 as a coffer dam between the Inner Harbour and James Bay, a tidal inlet where the Empress Hotel stands now. Once the coffer dam was in place, James Bay was filled in and the Empress Hotel was built on the reclaimed land.
The Inner Harbour Causeway is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
812 Wharf Street – Tourism Victoria Information Centre
The building was originally built in 1931 as an Imperial Oil service station. It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1986.
It is now the Tourism Victoria Information Centre.
Humboldt Street intersects on the East – Wharf Street intersects on the West
Government Street – 800 Block
801-807 Government Street – Belmont Building
It is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
809-817 Government Street – Metropolitan Building
The Metropolitan Building was built in 1903 for Joseph and Louis Rostein.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Courtney Street intersects
Government Street – 900 Block
This is one of the oldest buildings in downtown Victoria. It was built in 1858 as the Windsor Hotel.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1995.
This building was built circa 1908 and was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1995.
This building is one of three adjacent historic structures (also see 911 Government Street and 913 Government Street) built in 1903 by architects Thomas Hooper and C. Elwood Watkins.
Along with the adjacent building at 911 Government Street, it was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1995.
This building is one of three adjacent historic structures (also see 909 Government Street and 913 Government Street) built in 1903 by architects Thomas Hooper and C. Elwood Watkins.
Along with the adjacent building at 909 Government Street, it was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1995.
913 Government Street – Rogers Chocolates
This building is one of three adjacent historic structures (also see 909 Government Street and 911 Government Street) built in 1903 by architects Thomas Hooper and C. Elwood Watkins.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975. It has also been declared a the Rogers Building National Historic Site of Canada.
921 Government Street – the Weiler Building
The Weiler Building was built in 1899 for Weiler Brothers, Victoria’s first downtown department store.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Broughton Street intersects
Government Street – 1000 block
1000-1002 Government Street – Vernon Block
This landmark building was built in 1899 by architect Thomas Hooper for Charles Vernon.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
1001-1005 Government Street – the Hamley Building
The Hamley Building was built in 1885 for Wymond Hamley,
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
1006-1010 Government Street – the Promis Block
The Promis Block was built in 1905 by architects Thomas Hooper and C. Elwood Watkins for Oscar Promis of the Promis Estate Co., San Jose, California.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
1009-1013 Government Street – the Greenwood Building.
This building was built in 1885.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
This building was originally built in 1890 as a store and photography studio for Joseph Sommers.
1017-1021 Government Street – the Galpin Block
This building was built in 1884 for British investor Thomas Galpin.
This building was originally built in 1885 by Portland, Oregon architect Warren H. Williams (who also designed Craigdarroch Castle) for the Bank of B.C.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Poet Robert Service (1874-1958) worked here briefly as a bank teller before being transferred to the Yukon, where he published his first book of poetry.
It is now the Bard & Banker Pub.
Fort Street intersects
Government Street – 1100 block
1102 Government Street – Southgate & Laschelles Building
This building was built circa 1869, possibly by architect Richard Lewis, for John J. Southgate and H.D. Lascelles.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Bay Centre – 1125 Government Street
The Bay Centre (originally the Eaton Centre) was built in 1989. It is downtown Victoria’s largest indoor shopping mall.
It extends two blocks east to Douglas Street and is bordered by View Street on the north and Fort Street on the south.
1008 Government Street – Munro’s Books
This building was built in 1909-1910 by architect Thomas Hooper for the Royal Bank of Canada, which used it as a bank branch until the 1980’s.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
It was converted into Munro’s Books in 1985.
1110-1112 Government Street – the Mahon Building
The Mahon Building was built in 1907 by architect William Ridgway Wilson for Vancouver real estate investor Edward Mahon.
It is now Murchies Tea & Coffee
1116 Government Street – E.A. Morris Tobacconist
This building was originally built in 1882 but the current facade was designed in 1909 by architect Thomas Hooper.
The building was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
E.A. Morris Tobacconists has been in business here since 1909.
The interior is an excellent example of an Edwardian shop interior.
1130-1140 Government Street – the Bedford Regency Hotel
This building was originally built in 1912 by architect Thomas Hooper for the Hibben-Bone Stationers, who used for their store while renting out office space to tenants on the upper floors.
It has been a hotel since the 1930’s, first as the Churchill Hotel and now as the Bedford Regency Hotel.
1150 Government Street – the Garricks Head Pub
This building was originally built in 1878 and appears to have been operating as the Garricks Head Saloon in the 1890’s.
The building has had many uses over the years but is now occupied by the Garrick’s Head Pub, which has taken its name from the Garrick’s Head Saloon which operated here over a century ago.
Bastion Square intersects – View Street intersects
Government Street – 1200 block
1200 Government Street – Irish Times Pub
This building was built in 1897 by architect Francis Rattenbury for the Bank of Montreal, which used it as its downtown main branch until the 1920’s when the Bank of Montreal moved its main branch to 1225 Douglas Street.
This building remained a Bank fo Montreal branch until the 1980’s when it was converted to retail use.
It is now the Irish Times Pub.
1205 Government Street and 612-618 View Street – Union Bank of Canada building
Built in 1912 by architect A.Arthur Cox for the Union Bank of Canada.
It is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places as the Union Bank.
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Trounce Alley intersects
Trounce Alley intersects on the east side of Government Street.
1221 Government Street – W & J Wilson Clothiers
W&J Wilson Clothiers is one of Victoria’s oldest operating businesses and has been operating at this location since the 1870’s.
The current facade of the building was designed in 1912 by architect William Ridgway Wilson.
1230 Government Street – the Federal Building
The Federal Building was built between 1948-1952 by architects Percy Leonard James and Douglas James.
The main floor was originally designed as the main downtown Victoria location for the Post Office but it has now been converted to retail and commercial use.
The upper floors are still federal government offices.
This commercial building was likely built in the late 19th century.
This building was built circa 1871, or earlier, making it one of the oldest buildings on Government Street.
It is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
Yates Street intersects
Government Street – 1300 Block
1300-1304 Government Street – Adelphi Building
The Adelphi Building was built in 1891, possibly by architect Thomas Hooper.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
This building was built in 1946 by architects David C. Frame and Douglas James for the Imperial Bank of Canada. It replaced an earlier Imperial Bank of Canada building which had stood here since the 1890’s.
The main floor is now a Starbucks.
This building was originally built in 1902 as the Palace Saloon.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1995 under the name Palace Cigar Store.
This building was built in 1892 by architect John Teague for the New England Hotel.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1975.
In 2013 it was renovated to a mixed use commercial/residential strata building.
1316-1328 Government Street – the Russell Building
This building was originally built in 1879 by architect John Teague for R.J. Russell. The southern portion was added in 1888.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1995.
Johnson Street intersects
Government Street – 1400 block
1401 Government Street – the E.G. Prior Building
The Prior Building was built in 1888 by architect Leonard Buttress Trimen for Edward G. Prior, who used it for his hardware and farm equipment business, E.G. Prior Ltd.
The Prior Building was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 2003.
1407 Government Street was built in 1889 as a warehouse for the Brackman-Ker Milling Co., which used until 1907, when Brackman’Ker moved to a new building at 1420 Broad Street.
This building is now a mixed use commercial/residential strata.
1411 Government Street was built in 1891 as a store for George Powell & Son, a hardware business.
It is now a mixed use commercial/residential strata building.
1413-1421 Government Street – Plaza Hotel
This building was built in 1909 by architect H.S. Griffith for the Westholme Lumber Co., which used it as the Westholme Hotel.
It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 1995 under the name Westholme Hotel.
Pandora Avenue intersects
Government Street – 1600 block
1600 Government Street / 588 Pandora Avenue
Built in 1913 by architects W. D’Orly Rochefort and E.W. Sankey for the Island Amusement Company, which used it as the KinemaColour Theatre.
It later became the Victoria Ballroom and subsequently the Victoria Old Age Pensioners Association Hall.
It is now converted into residential and commercial strata (condominium) units.
Originally designed and built in 1914 by architect Jesse Warren as an office building, it opened instead as the Pantages Theatre.
It operated as a theatre under various names until the 1960’s, when it was bequeathed to the City of Victoria by owner Thomas S. McPherson.
It is now operated as the McPherson Playhouse. The building is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
1618-1628 Government Street / 565 Fisgard Street – Lee Block
The Lee Block was built in 1910 by architect C. Elwood Watkins for Lee Ching and Lee Wong.
It is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places as the Lee Block.
Fisgard Street intersects
Government Street – 1700 Block
1713 Government Street – Yen Wo Society
Built in 1912 by architect Leonard W. Hargreaves for the Yen Wo Society, which still owns the building.
It is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places as the Yen Wo Society Building.
1715-1717 Government Street – Chinese Empire Reform Association / Lung Kong Kung Shaw
1715-1717 Government Street was built in 1905 for the Chinese Empire Reform Association.
Herald Street intersects
Government Street – 1800 Block
1802-1826 Government Street – Lim Dat Building
1802-1826 Government Street was built in 1910 by architects Thomas Hooper and C. Elwood Watkins for Lim Dat.
The building still follows the original design of commercial space at street level with residential space on the upper floors.
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