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The
Sylvia was designed as an apartment building by W.P.
White, a Seattle architect, for Abraham Goldstein, and
named in honour of his daughter Sylvia. During
the Depression the Sylvia Court Apartments fell on hard
times, and in 1936 the building was converted into an apartment
hotel. With the advent of World War II, many of the suites
were converted to rooms, in order to provide accommodation
for the merchant-marine crews. After the war the number
of permanent residents in the hotel gradually decreased,
until by the sixties the Sylvia had become a completely
transient full-service hotel. In 1954 it opened the first
cocktail bar in Vancouver. Until 1958 the Sylvia Hotel was
the tallest building in the West End, a well known landmark,
its brick and terra-cotta extension softened by the Virginia
creeper that now completely covers the Gilford Street side
of the hotel. In 1975 the Sylvia was designated by the City
of Vancouver as a heritage building, thereby ensuring its
survival for many years to come. The Bayside Lounge
was the first cocktail bar in Vancouver and opened in 1954.
The Sylvia was the place to be, especially the restaurant
- Dine in the Sky on the top floor. The restaurant has since
been moved to the main level but still has some of the best
views of English Bay and the sunsets.
Source:
www.sylviahotel.com
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1975 the Sylvia was designated by the City of Vancouver as
a "heritage building", thereby ensuring its survival
for many years to come.
The famous Sylvia
Hotel cat, "Mr. Got To Go" has inspired two popular
children's books by Lois Simmie and illustrated by Cynthia
Nugent. They are engaging tales of the stray cat who arrived
at the Sylvia Hotel one day, took control of the premises
and decided to check in permanently.
Source: Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
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