I made it a point to visit Cloud9 before it closed and so I visited few weeks ago and will post a lot of photos hopefully this weekend. I was blown away by the open view from the top and now regret that I never made it there with any visitors to the city I have had.
Here we go with my final tribute to Empire Landmark Hotel which is still standing tall for a brief moment.
Despite the small floorplate of the tower, there are 4 elevators inside. They service all floors, including the revolving Cloud 9 restaurant on the 42nd floor.
From the top the view is stunning with surrounding city basking in the late afternoon sun.
Lost of new construction in south Downtown area.
The view towards northwest is very open, extending over Stanley Park and to the North Shore. However, in couple of years this view will be lost, as the red tower in the middle will be surrounded by much taller new wow-architecture towers.
North Shore preparing for the night.
Warm summer day coming to an end with sun setting over English Bay and Stanley Park.
Afternoon traffic crawling towards Lions Gate Bridge.
Lions Gate Bridge
What a view of Coal Harbour and Downtown Vancouver!!
It wasn't just the view, but the food was good, too.
Shangri-La and Trump Tower loom over rest of Downtown.
Metrotown skyline and Burnaby in the distance. Mount Baker is shrouded in the clouds a bit left from this picture.
BC Place roof peeking at the end of Robson Street.
Time for some cheesecake dessert.
One Wall Centre and Patina.
Shangri-La, Vancouver's tallest skyscraper.
Trump Tower
Robson Street shopping corridor runs through entire Downtown.
Evening setting in.
Lush and green West End is a hidden gem on the Downtown peninsula.
GOODBYE VIEW!!!
I am so happy I got a chance to visit the restaurant on its final days before it closed down for good in anticipation of pending demolition of this landmark tower. I wish I would have made it up there more often, as the view was indeed something to behold and being a revolving restaurant it was so easy to enjoy it while indulging some good food.
I hope you enjoyed my small tribute to this building. Thank you.
Appreciate the pics Klazu as I've never made it to the top to see the views for myself.
I know what you mean! I almost missed it as well since it always felt like I could make it there anytime, but then came the news and their last two months were fully booked. I was really lucky to get a table two weeks ago on a stunning summer evening!
They are now permanently closed since last weekend pending demolition.
Is it ironic that a foreign owned company is demolishing a 42 storey tower for more density yet another foreign owned, decades empty lot across the street can't be bothered to make a business case for any construction whatsoever?
Is it ironic that a foreign owned company is demolishing a 42 storey tower for more density yet another foreign owned, decades empty lot across the street can't be bothered to make a business case for any construction whatsoever?
That's the difference between a multi-milionaire and a billionaire, I suppose.
Few hotels do have restaurants at the top, but yeah, there aren't too many in the city. There are plenty of lookouts on the mountains though, if you count those...
Great photos Klazu. Because it had been there so long it was easy to forget how tall it was and how great the views were. Your photos brought that back.
Such a shame it's coming down. When I told my mom she said "isn't that the Wosk tower? Anyone know if the Wosks were involved in building it?
Great photos Klazu. Because it had been there so long it was easy to forget how tall it was and how great the views were. Your photos brought that back.
Such a shame it's coming down. When I told my mom she said "isn't that the Wosk tower? Anyone know if the Wosks were involved in building it?
One of the Wosk Brothers developed it: "Built by Ben Wosk for $12 million, it was designed by architect Ross Lort in the brutalist style popular at the time, with an exposed concrete exterior." (John Mackie in the Vancouver Sun).
He also explains the subsequent ownership changes: "In 1986, Wosk sold the Landmark along with two more hotels (the Sheraton 500 and the Sheraton Burnaby Villa) to Southmark Corp. of Dallas for a reported $48.5 million. In 1988, Southmark flipped the three hotels to Daniel Lee of Los Angeles for a reported $82 million.
Lee ran into financial difficulties, his lenders took it over and in 1997 it was purchased by Hong Kong’s Asia Standard International Group for $57.75 million. Asia Standard then changed the name to the Empire Landmark." It's Asia Standard who are developing the replacement residential towers, so it's not a recent acquisition; they've owned and operated the hotel for 20 years.
Morris Wosk built the Blue Horizon a few years earlier; a 1975 book suggested it might have been sibling rivalry that led Ben to built the Landmark taller.
Few hotels do have restaurants at the top, but yeah, there aren't too many in the city. There are plenty of lookouts on the mountains though, if you count those...
The mountains don't offer the same intimate vantage point as an observation deck located in the heart of the city...
I know what you mean! I almost missed it as well since it always felt like I could make it there anytime, but then came the news and their last two months were fully booked. I was really lucky to get a table two weeks ago on a stunning summer evening!
They are now permanently closed since last weekend pending demolition.
Yeah I just always assumed I would make it up there one day. Ah well.
Is it ironic that a foreign owned company is demolishing a 42 storey tower for more density yet another foreign owned, decades empty lot across the street can't be bothered to make a business case for any construction whatsoever?
Blame city policies: actually the major culprit for its pending demolition. I'm furious. Will have to go through this once again when the viaducts close for good in a couple of years to be demolished.
I was fortunate enough to be invited to the last operating night of Cloud 9, it was a blast, many staff members sharing fond memories, the view was incredible that night and the service and food couldn't have been better! We all got to take a momento, I grabbed a greasy menu.
I share the sentiment of others, there's nowhere to experience this kind of view any longer.
Need 100 ice buckets? Vancouver hotel sells off items before demolition
'You're coming in here and you're sort of getting a piece of history,' says shopper
By Liam Britten, CBC News Posted: Oct 21, 2017 7:00 AM PT
If you're looking to score a great deal on clock radios from the '90s, or if your linen closet is short between one to 50,000 pieces, there's a sale out there for you.
The Empire Landmark hotel in Vancouver's West End has closed its doors for good but a liquidator is selling off thousands of hotel items to the public as the building is readied for demolition.
Scattered throughout the hotel's lobby, ballrooms and conference centres are typical hotel fixtures: beds, towels, chairs, TVs, mini-fridges and enough ice buckets to chill several hundred bottles of champagne.
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