Pacific Block - Greenwood, British Columbia
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 49° 05.283 W 118° 40.655
11U E 377516 N 5438599
Comprised of the Windsor and Pacific Hotels, the Pacific Block is to be found at the south end of Copper Street, on the west side of the street.
Waymark Code: WM17ZRG
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 04/29/2023
Views: 0
The windsor was probably the grandest and largest hotel of the times in Greenwood. Built in 1896, it didn't receive its third floor until 1898 when it was sold to E.S. Barnard for $9000. The building seen today is a reconstruction of the 1896-1898 building, built in 1899 after being almost completely destroyed by fire.
Today the building, no longer operated as a hotel, houses the oldest continuously operating pub in BC as well as the Copper Eagle Bakery, where one may partake of Coffee and Tea, Desserts and Ice Cream, Bakery items, Gluten-Free, and even Free WIFI.
Windsor Hotel 321 S. Copper
(Greenwood Inn Saloon)
The Windsor Hotel houses one of the longest operating pubs in British Columbia. This is the third Windsor Hotel on this site. The first two both burned down prior to 1899. The spokes on the projecting balconies, contrasting timbering and decorative cornices make it the most elaborate wood frame building in Greenwood. The upper floors were used in 1998 as Ishmael Chambers apartment in "Snow Falling on Cedars" and called the San Piedro Island Inn.
From the Greenwood Heritage Walk
* * *
Greenwood was just one of dozens of mining towns which sprang up in the boundary country of southern BC in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some of the first buildings to go up were several wood frame hotels, such as The Pioneer, The Imperial, The Windsor and this one, The Pacific. It was built the first time around 1896, the second time in 1899 and the third time in 1907. Third time must have been a charm, as it is still with us today.
Today it still holds artefacts from its time as a World War II Japanese internment building but is no longer operate as a hotel. On the ground floor is the Pacific Grille, a country style restaurant which has gotten a mess of rave reviews at
Trip Adviser.
309 S. Copper - Pacific Hotel
ca.1907 (Pacific Grill Restaurant)
Twice the Pacific Hotel was nearly destroyed by fire, in 1899 and 1907 and rebuilt each time. The building was never as elaborate as the Windsor. During World War II it housed over 200 Japanese-Canadians and was known as Internment Building #1. It was known as the Harbor Hotel in the movie"Snow Falling on Cedars:' It is now home to the Pacific Grill, one of the Boundary's finest restaurants.
From the Greenwood Heritage Walk
Windsor Hotel
The Windsor Hotel houses the longest operating pub in British Columbia. Inspired by the huge success of the Pioneer, Greenwood's first hotel, in just two months Sam Webb and George Seymour built this two story, false-fronted hotel and named it the Windsor. It was a major undertaking. Building supplies in 1896 were in short supply and high demand.
In 1898 the Windsor was sold to wealthy Victoria businessman E.S. Barnard for $9000 cash, who added a third story to the structure. The following year it was virtually destroyed by fire, yet was rebuilt in the original fine style that exists today. The spokes on the projecting balconies, contrasting timbering and decorative conics make it the most elaborate wood frame building in Greenwood.
Pacific Hotel
Twice the Pacific was nearly destroyed by fire, in 1899 and 1907, and each time it was rebuilt. This building was never elaborate like the Windsor. Its claim to fame came during the Second World War. The Pacific Hotel was designated Internment Building #1 and became home to over 200 Japanese Canadians.
Fires for heat or cooking were simply not allowed in the overcrowded, poorly heated rooms, but centrally located Canadian army field stoves were on each floor. Due to the extreme fire hazard, residents appointed their own watchman to patrol the building. Many remnants of the these difficult years remain on the second and third floors. In 1957, when wartime restrictions on Japanese Canadians ended, the building was purchased by Wong "Skorty" Lee. His family operated it as a successful restaurant for many years.
transcribed from sign