Many famous people stayed at this hotel, including Winston Churchill, Sarah Bernhardt, Babe Ruth, Ethel Barrymore, and Anna Pavlova.

It was also much loved by the people of Vancouver, who made its rooftop dining room and dance floor, the Panorama Roof, a favourite place for a night out.

To this end, the east side of False Creek was filled in to expand rail yards and situate a Beaux Arts railway station.

Money to complete the hotel was finally provided by the Canadian government in 1937 as an unemployment relief projet in the dark days of the Depression.

The Pacific Centre, including the TD Tower and the main Vancouver Eaton's Store (now Nordstrom), was constructed between 1969 and 1973 and stands on the site today.