CPR Steamship Terminal

Built 1924

The impressive Canadian Pacific Railway Steamship Terminal building is a testament of the past importance of Victoria’s Inner Harbour as the gateway to the city and, indeed, to western Canada.

The original terminal, only 20 years old at the time, was torn down in 1924 to make room for this imposing structure designed and built by architects P.L. James and Francis.M. Rattenbury.

Built in a neo-classical architectural style with Beaux Arts influence, the massive Ionic columns on the north and south facades of the building accent its status as one of the Inner Harbour’s most visible and significant buildings.The design is intended to playfully reflect a temple of Poseidon, the Greek God of the sea, whose likeness adorns the exterior.

The building was acquired by the Provincial Capital Commission and is on Victoria’s Registry of Historic Buildings.

Thanks to $3 million in joint federal/provincial funding, this iconic heritage building will be undergoing a major seismic and structural upgrade from October 2010 to March 31, 2011