812 Wharf Street

Built 1931

The prominence of this building on Victoria’s Inner Harbour was symbolic of the city’s passage into the modern age.

Built in the Art Deco style with its stepped tower – a ziggurat in architectural terms – the Imperial Oil Causeway Garage was erected in 1931. The 24.4 meter (80 foot) tower was topped by a 10,000,000 candle-power Sperry light beacon visible for 96.6 kilometres (60 miles). The beacon atop the Imperial Oil tower was meant to guide aviators into the outer harbour at night. The light was extinguished during WWII and newer technology rendered the beacon obsolete. In 2009, the Provincial Capital Commission refurbished the historic beacon and it now shines nightly again.

The garage was in operation until 1974. The building was acquired by the Province in 1975 and by the Provincial Capital Commission in 1978. It now houses the Victoria Visitor Information Centre on the main floor, a restaurant on the middle floor, and retail outlets on the harbour level.