Almost a year after collapse warning, future of Vancouver SRO remains in limbo

FIRE Almost a year after collapse warning, future of Vancouver SRO remains in limbo By Kristen Robinson Global News Posted September 23, 2026 1:05 pm 4 min read Following a fire nearly a year ago, the City of Vancouver warned that a 115-year-old single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel was at risk of "imminent collapse." The property's owners commissioned their own engineering report, which said the building could be repaired. But, as Kristen Robinson reports, efforts to save the structure from demolition have come to a halt. LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE A 116-year-old single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is still standing almost one year after the city warned it was at risk of “imminent collapse,” but efforts to save the vacant building from demolition have been halted. Following an Oct. 17, 2025 fire in one of the second-floor rooms, then Chief Building Official Saul Schwebs ordered the Summer Hotel in the historic Tweedale Block unsafe to occupy due to water damage. Last December, city council declared 341 East Hastings Street a danger to public safety and ordered the owner to stabilize the building or tear it down. At the time, the property owners commissioned their own engineering report, which claimed the building could be repaired. But Robert Gallagher, the only remaining tenant, said municipal bureaucracy is preventing the owner from rebuilding her rooming house during a housing crisis. STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT “She’s willing to do the work. Why won’t they give us a permit? There (are) 36 rooms here available for people,” Gallagher told Global News in an interview. Gallagher said he’s lived at the Summer Hotel on and off for two decades, and continued to stay in his room after the fire displaced the other tenants, because he wanted to keep watch and ensure the empty building was not broken into. The City of Vancouver claims the owner, Thuan Phuoc Holdings, has undertaken work without permits, disturbing hazardous materials. WorkSafeBC has issued two stop-work orders against Thuan Phuoc Holdings for structural safety concerns and potential asbestos. An April 9 inspection report documented “ongoing structural movement” and noted a temporary shoring system was installed inside the building “without professional design, direction, or oversight and without…