The historic Cecil Hotel at the north end of the Granville Bridge will soon make way for the The Rolston, a 23 storey condo development. The Cecil Hotel was built in 1909 on the outskirts of Yaletown and its pub was as famous a watering hole as that of its neighbour, the Yale. Its last incarnation was a strip club, but in the early seventies it was frequented by poets, writers, and hippies. At that time, it was also the unofficial office of Greenpeace. Pioneers of Greenpeace met there and over 25 cent beers gave birth to the ecological campaigns of saving the whales. It’s claimed that the Georgia Straight newspaper was conceived and named over beers at the Cecil.

Meanwhile its neighbour, the Yale Hotel, has made its name as a well known rhythm and blues bar. Originally built in the mid 1880’s, it housed CPR workers and soon gained a reputation for its wild night life. The Yale, which has a heritage designation, will be saved and restored. It will retain such features as its mansard roof and gabled dormers. The pub will also be renovated and continue to feature blues music.

The renovated Yale, the Rolston and a proposed new condo development at Drake and Howe Streets will comprise the first phase of a new neighbourhood the developer is calling Midtown. This signals the end of the era of strip clubs and sex shops, and also the boisterous bars which were in the tradition of the original Yaletown.