Almost a year after collapse warning, future of Vancouver SRO remains in limbo

A 116-year-old single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is still standing almost one year after the city warned it was at risk of “imminent collapse,” but efforts to save the vacant building from demolition have been halted.

Following an Oct. 17, 2025 fire in one of the second-floor rooms, then Chief Building Official Saul Schwebs ordered the Summer Hotel in the historic Tweedale Block unsafe to occupy due to water damage.

Last December, city council declared 341 East Hastings Street a danger to public safety and ordered the owner to stabilize the building or tear it down.

At the time, the property owners commissioned their own engineering report, which claimed the building could be repaired.

But Robert Gallagher, the only remaining tenant, said municipal bureaucracy is preventing the owner from rebuilding her rooming house during a housing crisis.

“She’s willing to do the work. Why won’t they give us a permit? There (are) 36 rooms here available for people,” Gallagher told Global News in an interview.

Gallagher said he’s lived at the Summer Hotel on and off for two decades, and continued to stay in his room after the fire displaced the other tenants, because he wanted to keep watch and ensure the empty building was not broken into.

The City of Vancouver claims the owner, Thuan Phuoc Holdings, has undertaken work without permits, disturbing hazardous materials.

WorkSafeBC has issued two stop-work orders against Thuan Phuoc Holdings for structural safety concerns and potential asbestos.

An April 9 inspection report documented “ongoing structural movement” and noted a temporary shoring system was installed inside the building “without professional design, direction, or oversight and without permits.”

“There has been a little bit of work just to brace the building so it doesn’t come down any more,” Gallagher admitted.

WorkSafeBC said no work would be permitted until several compliance measures – including submitting a written report by a professional structural engineer confirming the building has been inspected and is structurally stable and safe for workers – were completed and accepted.

While Gallagher acknowledged floors have caved in on the ground level at the back of the building, he doesn’t believe the structure is unsafe.

“The floors have to be shored; we know this. Other than that, the building is fine,” he said.

The second stop work order was issued during a May 12 WorkSafeBC inspection, due to the “potential disturbance of suspected asbestos-containing material without appropriate assessment or controls”.

At that time, WorkSafeBC said prior to any work, a final inspection must be conducted by a qualified third party to ensure all asbestos-containing materials have been completely removed.

“There’s a lot of work that has to be done, we know this, but she can’t do it until there’s a permit,” Gallagher told Global News.

Heritage consultant Donald Luxton told Global News the city can’t just refuse a permit but would withhold one if work conditions are unsafe.

Luxton said work could certainly proceed if the WorkSafeBC conditions are addressed, adding that WorkSafeBC overrides the city of Vancouver process.

“If the owner is serious, they will have to follow due process,” he said Tuesday.

341 East Hastings is listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register, and designated under the Single Room Accommodation (SRA) By-law regulating the alteration, conversion, and demolition of SRAs – often called SROs.

Luxton said it would be a very serious step if the city ordered demolition so he hopes the building owner is able to resolve the issues with permitting.

“The City cannot continue to ignore the situation if the owner won’t cooperate; however, it does not appear that there is a good reason to lose another salvageable Heritage Register building in the DTES (Downtown Eastside),” Luxton said.

Because the stop work orders are still in effect, the city told Global News Friday that the property owner must submit their work plan to WorkSafeBC before any new work can begin.

As of mid-August, WorkSafeBC said the employer(Thuan Phuoc Holdings Ltd.) was in the process of developing a procedure to address the outstanding safety concerns, and once that had occurred, it would review and lift the stop work order.

When asked Tuesday if the property owner had submitted a work plan, WorkSafe BC did not immediately respond.

“This place means a lot to me,” said Gallagher. “It’s basically my home, I guess you could say, and I don’t want to see it demolished for no good reasons.”