Carlton Plaza

The Best Western Carlton Plaza hotel is a three-diamond hotel in downtown Victoria, British Columbia.

The hotel has seen many faces over the years. It was built in 1912 and was originally to be called the Carlton Hotel on the building plans. Despite the building plans, the hotel went up at 642 Johnson Street in Victoria, BC as the St. James Hotel. Charles Hayward, former mayor and undertaker, was the developer. Mr. Hayward served as Mayor of Victoria from 1900 to 1902. In 1880, the land housed the William Grimms Carriage Factory.

Emanuel Bresemann and Morien Durfee were the architects. The St. James Hotel was their largest commission. However, they were not in Victoria for long. At the same time as the St. James hotel was constructed, they also built a new funeral home for Charles Hayward (BC Funeral Furnishing Co.) and the First Congregational Church on Quadra Street which was recently converted to condos at the corner of Mason Street.

The hotel was originally owned by the St. James Ltd which was formed by Charles Hayward and Frank S. Barnard on Dec. 2, 1911. On October 17, 1912, the hotel received an order of 107 wall beds from a firm in Vancouver. During the early years, the basement was rent to Ms. K McCluskey who operated a bar. The St. James Hotel was owned by the St. James Corporation until 1936. According to records at the City of Victoria, the phone number for the hotel in early 1953 was G1187.

As of 1918, F.C. Willows was listed as the resident manager of the hotel. Francis (Bubs) Carlow, born Feb. 28, 1915, was listed as the manager of the Royal Olympic hotel from the 1950s until 1980. Prior to that, he worked as a logger and shipyard worker during the 1930s and 1940's. Nicholas Renard retired as the General Manager of the Royal Olympic Hotel in 1976.

The earliest beer parlours within Victoria City Limits opened in 1954 and they were very stylish, clean and interesting. It was over time that establishments deteriorated through vandalism, theft and wear & tear that brought standards down.The Royal Olympic Beer Parlours were no exception in that the men's side had luxurious red and black leather chairs and the room was clean and spacious. The Ladies & Escorts side was done up in a green colour theme and very chic for its' day.

In 1954 the St James Hotel became the Royal Olympic Hotel and operated as such until 1989 when it joined the world’s largest hotel chain - Best Western.

The firm of Wagg and Hambleton, established in 1950, was commissioned to do the infill addition of the Carlton Plaza Hotel. In 1981, Custom Industrial Fibreglass Ltd., was given the task of putting the ornate glazed terra cotta facing on the new addition of the hotel. The coursing line, spacing and size was to be similar and designed to collect dirt particles so it would appear aged as per the existing building. The complete 6th floor parapet and face including window surrounds was to be duplicated in reinforced composites. The detail included corbels, dentils, facing, lower cornices and pedestal embellishments and scrolls. The remaining floors included terra cotta, simulated sills, inlay and lower fascia. In order to maintain adherence to coursing line spacing all vertical joints were stepped.

During the 1970’s and early 1980’s, the hotel housed a night club in its basement called Olie’s.Today, the Best Western Carlton Plaza Hotel is a three-diamond, award-winning hotel in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. It is owned and operated by Mayfair Hotels and Resorts. It boasts 103 rooms spread across 7 floors featuring a mixture of standard rooms and suites. The hotel features a fitness centre and complimentary wireless internet. It houses a number of businesses on its lobby level including Anne’s Nails, Mango’s Boutique, and DeDutch Pannekoek House.