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 Washington Street 1890s Buildings - Rossland, BC Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 49° 04.656 W 117° 48.006
11U E 441569 N 5436390
Five of the luckiest buildings in downtown Rossland stand side by side on the east side of Washington Street, having escaped their imminent demise no less than four times.
Waymark Code: WM16TC1
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 10/01/2022
Views: 1
Washington Street 1890s Buildings
Looking up Washington Street on the east side you will see a unique row of five heritage buildings. Anchored at the bottom by the Collins Hotel building this street was home to four of the more than forty "hotels" that existed in Rossland at the turn of the century. Included in these premises were a movie theatre and a bowling alley. They varied from large establishments with saloons, to smaller ones with club rooms. They each served a different segment of the quickly growing population. We are lucky these treasures survived early fires and the pressures of "progress ".
From the Historical Marker at the Hoffman House
Four times, in 1902, 1926, 1927 and 1929, this grouping of wood framed buildings escaped fire, as did very few of their neighbours in Rossland's downtown area. The 1902, 1927 and 1929 fires were major events, each destroying much of Rossland's downtown, while the 1926 fire was contained to the bowling alley at the rear of the Hoffman House.
The five are, from north to south:
- Star Theatre - Built 1908
The only one of the five to be built in the twentieth century, the Star Theatre, built on the site of a blacksmith shop, was the first to bring moving pictures to the bustling mountain town of Rossland. Opening in 1908, it ran until 1925, offering both live entertainment and movies.
Since the closing of the theatre, the building has housed a dry goods store, church, grocery store, building supply store, and retail and professional offices. In 1975 Butch Boutry, a local ski champion and one time head coach of the Canadian National Ski Team, opened a ski shop in the building. Today the Butch Boutry Ski Shop is the longest running business in Rossland under the same name and in the same location.
- Steen & Company Wholesale Liquors and Cigars - Built 1897
Built as a liquor and cigar dispensary, the building is valued for the many, eclectic businesses and organizations which once occupied various portions of the building. These run the gamut from the original liquor & cigar store, to a U.S. Consulate, warehousing, offices and, for many years a string of Chinese operated restaurants.
- Bodega Hotel - Built 1897
One of Rossland’s earliest and smallest hotels, best known for its saloon, the Bodega was constructed between 1896 and 1898. The dining room and the kitchen were located below the ground floor and the main floor had the bar-room, two club rooms and a reading room. There were a total of 32 bedrooms in the hotel and just one bathroom (water closet).
In 1911, George Green, the founder of Green City near Salmo, opened an ice cream parlour on the premises. The popular Rosie’s Cafe occupied the building from 1930 until 1945.
The Rossland Light Opera Company bought the building in 1985 and have used it for meetings, practices, set construction and storage since then. Founded in 1951, The Rossland Light Opera Company is "believed to be the oldest musical theatre company in BC".
- Hoffman House - Built 1896
The Hoffman House was considered the best hotel in the district, boasting a dining room, club rooms, a bar room, 25 bedrooms and 4 bowling lanes in the rear. This structure was, for many years after ceasing operations as a hotel, operated as a hardware store in conjunction with the Collins Hotel, adjoining its south side. The hardware business, under three different names, continued in operation into the 1990s.
- Collins Hotel - Built 1898
The Collins Hotel, a smaller hotel built next to the famous Hoffman House, was constructed in 1898. It had a bar room, 3 club rooms, a large dining room and a large kitchen on the main floor. There were 14 bedrooms and initially, the attic was not furnished. In the late 1920s Rossland’s first library was located here.
The Hoffman House and the Collins House were later connected and became known as Wise’s Hardware Store for many years. The hardware business, under three different names, continued in operation from 1934 into the 1990s. Today, these two buildings are again separated and have been home to a variety of businesses.
Washington Street 1890s Buildings
Description of Historic Place
The Washington Street 1890s Buildings is a grouping of five two- and three-storey historic wooden commercial buildings dating from the late 1890s and located on the eastern side of Washington Street between Columbia Avenue and First Avenue. These attached buildings all have a flat-roofed or false-fronted appearance and have commercial storefronts at street level.
Heritage Value
The Washington Street 1890s Buildings are recognized for their historic and aesthetic values to the community of Rossland as the only surviving intact block of first-generation commercial buildings in Rossland's historic downtown. This grouping of five wood-framed buildings in downtown is rare and significant for not having been affected by a series of devastating fires prior to 1930 that decimated many other contemporary buildings of this era in the surrounding blocks, leaving only isolated examples of buildings from Rossland's earliest development period.
This group of buildings is valued for its original saw tooth characteristic of the earliest commercial streetscapes during the early boom period of the city. The wooden construction of these buildings reflects the rapidly-gained wealth afforded by speculators, businessmen, and citizens, who desired to build a city as quickly as the gold was mined in the surrounding hillsides. The false-front appearance of these buildings reflects the design trends of the day that strove to convey a sense of permanence, sophistication, and emulate the success of larger, established urban centres.
This group of buildings also holds value as a reminder of the economic and social diversity that were commonplace in mining boomtowns of western Canada. With early purposes ranging from hotels, cafes, furnished rooms, a wholesale liquor distribution warehouse, a movie house and a US consular office, these buildings together demonstrate the agglomerate nature of businesses, people, skills, and experiences that came together in the 1890s to build a city upon hills of gold. There is also heritage significance in the story of the occasional internal consolidation and separation of some of these buildings for a variety of commercial and social purposes throughout their histories. This value is evident in the history of long-term ownership and operation by many individuals, families, and organizations over time.
Character-Defining Elements
The elements that define the character of the Washington Street 1890s Buildings include its:
- Original location on the 2000 block of Washington Street in Rossland's historic downtown
- Contiguous relationship of the five structures
- Saw tooth appearance of the roofline of the buildings
- Commercial design, form and wooden construction of all five structures, each with a flat-roofed or false-fronted appearance
- Relationship of each building to the street, with no setbacks
- Surviving or evidence of commercial storefronts at street level on all buildings
From Historic Places Canada
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Washington Street 1890s Buildings |
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Type of Marker: Cultural
Type of Sign: Historic Site or Building Marker
Describe the parking that is available nearby: Street Parking is available at the marker
What Agency placed the marker?: City of Rossland
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