One of Vancouver’s largest hotels and most prominent landmarks will permanently close its doors early this fall ahead of a planned demolition and redevelopment.

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Empire Landmark Hotel on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver’s West End neighbourhood will shut down operations on September 30. The Cloud 9 revolving restaurant on the top floor will also close on the same day.

The 42-storey, 394 ft-tall hotel first opened in 1973 as the Sheraton Landmark Hotel. But its replacement will be nearly 100 feet shorter due to restrictive view cones.

Views of the city from the Cloud 9 revolving restaurant on the 42nd floor of the Empire Landmark Hotel. (Tourism Vancouver)

Last year, a development application was submitted to the City of Vancouver to replace Vancouver’s tallest standalone hotel tower with two shorter residential towers, at 28 and 30 storeys, reaching a height of 300 ft with 223 market housing units and 57 social housing units.

However, a revised development application filed earlier this year now calls for more floors and the towers will now be 31 and 32 storeys tall.

Retail units are planned for the building’s ground level along Robson Street while office space is slated for the second and third floors of the podium.

A rezoning application is not required as the project falls under the City’s West End Community Plan.

The redevelopment is spearheaded by Hong Kong-based international luxury residential company Asia Standard International Hotel Group, the owners of the hotel site, and designed by local architectural firm Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership.

There is no word yet on how the tower will be demolished. Large buildings of this size are often teared down using a controlled implosion method instead of traditional techniques.

Artistic rendering of the planned residential development. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership)

Artistic rendering of the planned residential development’s Robson Street retail frontage. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership)

Before and after comparison: Empire Landmark Hotel vs.
planned residential redevelopment. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership)

Before and after comparison: Empire Landmark Hotel vs. planned residential redevelopment. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership)

Before and after comparison: Empire Landmark Hotel vs. planned residential redevelopment. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership)