Byrnes Block
2 Water Street
The Byrnes Block was among the first brick structures in Vancouver.
It was built after the fire of 1886 by Victoria real estate speculator
and former Barkerville sheriff George Byrnes. Designed by architect
Elmer H. Fisher and completed in 1887, the block included the Alhambra
Hotel. With hot water and a stove or fireplace in each room (note
the many chimneys), the Alhambra was one of the city's fancier hotels.
It stands near the site of Gassy Jack Deighton's second saloon which
torn down in 1870 to make way for the newly surveyed streets. Early
residents often gathered under the large maple tree nearby, commemorated
by contemporary Gastown's Maple Tree Square.
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