Velvet Block
City of Rossland Heritage Register Plaque
Historical Name: Velvet Block
Common Name: Velvet Hotel
Physical Address: 2197 Columbia Avenue
Dates of Construction: 1896/1897
Part of the original Township of Rossland, the Velvet Block is a substantial, two-storey, flat-roofed building that marks the entrance to Rossland’s Downtown strip on the corner of Columbia Avenue and St. Paul Street. The lot is sloping, with the back of the building three storeys tall, with a business area located in the basement area, accessed by a door on the south side of the building. It is one of the five remaining buildings on this downtown block that dates back to the boomtown period.
2283.0008 J.M. Jordan Store in the Velvet Block, circa 1900.
Part of the original Township of Rossland, the Velvet Block is a substantial, two-storey, flat-roofed building that marks the entrance to Rossland’s Downtown strip on the corner of Columbia Avenue and St. Paul Street.
The lot is sloping, with the back of the building three storeys tall, with a business area located in the basement area, accessed by a door on the south side of the building. It is one of the five remaining buildings on this downtown block that dates back to the boomtown period.
McLeod and MacNaughton owned the building originally but did not run a business out of it. In May of 1897, the store “Lockhart & Jordan – Importers and Dealers in Furniture, Carpets and Undertakers’ Goods” operated out of the building. In 1914, E.H.S. Wynn purchased the building but sold it to Mrs. Life in 1918. In 1920, W.K. Esling purchased the building and may have used it for his headquarters for a time during his political career.
For more information:
Rossland Heritage Commission Official Heritage Register - Buildings: The Velvet Block
Historic Places Canada: Velvet Block
Contribute your own memories/experiences of the Velvet Block:
The form below will email us your message. If you prefer to speak to us directly or have other questions or comments about this page, please call (250) 362-7722 or email the archives directly at archives@rosslandmuseum.ca