Historic Winter Hotel (Flying Pig Gastown) Back in the Day
Our Gastown location of The Flying Pig is in the historic Winter Hotel, originating from about 1906/07.
We recently uncovered some photos and information that shows the original hotel bar was located in the same space as the restaurant is currently located.
In 1908 the hotel was described in glowing terms in the Greater Vancouver Illustrated publication.
“Hotel Winters was designed and was erected specially for a hotel replete with every modern and up-to-date convenience known to the business. It is constructed of red pressed brick, with cut stone trimmings. The lobby, buffet and reading room are laid with mosaic tiling, the lobby having a lofty ceiling and being a spacious and well-lighted room. The furniture is of golden oak, with which the trimmings are In perfect harmony.
There are one hundred and twenty luxuriously appointed rooms in the hotel, a part of which are en suite, fifty of the apartments provided with private baths. All rooms are exceptionally well lighted and airy, are provided with steam heat, hot and cold water, telephones and such other modern conveniences as are usually found in the best and most modern hotels.
The dining room is large, beautifully lighted and elaborately decorated, and has walls and ceilings paneled with heavy plaster staff relief work. The service is of the very best, and guests pronounce this one of the most satisfactory places to dine that can be found In the city.
The hotel is conducted on the American plan and rates are reasonable, considering the high class accommodations secured. The proprietors of this excellent hostelry are A. M. Winters who built same, and after whom It Is named, and Thos. Stevenson, the latter being the active manager.
Mr Stevenson was for several years manager of the Dominion Hotel, Victoria. Of Scotch decent, he possesses many qualities which make him most popular with the traveling public, and there Is probably no hotelman In Western Canada who possesses a larger acquaintance. nor one more efficiently equipped to conduct a thoroughly modern, high-class hotel.”
Mrs Winters seems to have done well enough with the hotel, which was $1 a day on the European Plan but $2 on the American Plan (with meals). In 1911 she had Somervell and Putnam design a house for her in Point Grey, although successfully avoided the census that year.
