Arundel Mansion

Arundel Mansion – A Place of Interest on the 2026 Heritage Homes Tour

Step inside one of New Westminster’s most atmospheric heritage buildings and enjoy complimentary afternoon tea, cookies, and muffins hosted by Myrna Ball from 11:30 AM to 6 PM in the mansion’s tea room.

Staff will be available to guide Homes Tour guests through selected suites, including the apartment used for several years in the television series Supernatural — featuring one memorable stunt scene in which a character was thrown through a window several storeys above the street.

Next door, Norma welcomes visitors to explore her adjoining gallery, Found Art Salon. 

Limited parking is available at the rear of the building, with additional street parking nearby.

With SkyTrain’s elevated tracks running along its exterior, and an interior that is largely untouched, the ambience of the Arundel evokes the feel of New York City and Chicago.

Style elements: Reinforced steel concrete demonstrates forward thinking in the day for this six-storey combined commercial and residential apartment building. Though its multiple storeys of bay windows might have presented as a bit Queen Anne revival, the units featured all the modern conveniences touted to “arouse the envy of all good housewives.”  The building is Edwardian-style with Craftsman-like details found in most units with generous use of wood paneling and built-in features.

Architectural significance: Arundel Mansions is perhaps the most intact example of an apartment hotel in Western Canada. It was built conveniently close to transit hubs of the day – CPR and BC Electric Stations –  and today, Skytrain is literally at its doorstep.

What to look for:  Three units are on tour. One retains the dark, richly stained woodwork; the second has been painted. Though similar, it projects a very different feeling. The third unit is often used for filming. With its distressed (verging on seedy and worn) look, it exudes a certain film noir vibe with a frontier sensibility. Each unit is self-contained, offering large living rooms and, in most cases, very original kitchens.

First owner:  The architectural firm of Thornton and Davis built Arundel Mansions for G. Alers Hankey, owner of then adjacent Russell Hotel, later renamed as the College Place and currently the site of transitional and supportive housing for men.

The full story

“...A home of perfection.” That’s how one newspaper described the beautiful new six-storey apartment building rising on Begbie Street in 1912. There is indeed something special about the Arundel Mansions. Even its name evokes a bygone era. Few today would associate the word “mansion” with a six-storey apartment building, yet somehow the title fits perfectly.

When hotelier and businessman G. Alers Hankey recognized a growing need for both short- and long-term accommodations in the Royal City, he envisioned a luxurious and modern residential hotel for travellers and residents alike. Already owner of the popular Russell Hotel (formerly the iconic College Place Hotel), Hankey hired Vancouver architects Thornton and Davis to design a building combining commercial and residential uses. The result was widely admired.

The British Columbian newspaper called the Arundel Mansions “the last word in comfort” and declared it “aroused the envy of all good housewives.” Built with reinforced concrete and steel, the Arundel offered many of the modern conveniences sought at the time: spacious self-contained suites with Craftsman-era detailing including built-in buffets with leaded glass, clawfoot tubs, picture rails, plate rails, and unusually generous kitchen workspaces.

The building was strategically located near the transportation hubs of its day, including the CPR and BC Electric stations, as well as the nearby Westminster Trust Building. More than a century later, the Arundel remains equally well situated -- just a 5-minute walk from New Westminster Skytrain station, with the tracks running directly beside the building, lending it an atmosphere reminiscent of older districts in New York or Chicago.

Today, the Arundel Mansions is considered one of the most intact examples of an early apartment hotel of its kind in Western Canada. Much of the interior remains remarkably untouched. Three suites are featured on this year’s tour. One retains its original dark stained woodwork, another has painted finishes that create a very different atmosphere, and a third --often used for film productions --has been intentionally distressed to evoke a film noir sensibility with hints of frontier-era character.

Walking through the tiled lobby and riding the original Van Emon elevator—the first elevator installed in New Westminster -- visitors experience more than architecture. The Arundel still carries a strong sense of mystery, atmosphere, and the many stories of those who have passed through its halls over the last century.

Thank you to our 2018 Heritage Homes Tour sponsor, TANEX Industries Ltd - a family owned and operated business specializing in custom heritage mouldings since 1984. We've helped to restore, renovate and preserve many historic homes. We've proudly been supporting NWHPS by donating heritage plaques to the Homes Tour since 2004. Call TANEX at 604-540-9328