BUILT: 1892
Simeon Duck and the Carriage Era (1874–1892)
The story of the building begins with Simeon Duck, a prominent Victoria entrepreneur, politician, and MLA who later served as the Minister of Finance for British Columbia. In 1874, Duck commissioned a substantial two-story carriage manufacturing factory—known as the Duck’s Carriage Factory—at the corner of Broad and Johnson Streets. As his carriage business expanded, he decided to develop the property further. In 1892, he hired architect William Tuff Whiteway to construct the adjacent three-story Victorian brick building that stands today at 1314–1322 Broad Street. Simeon Duck used the ground floor of this new block to operate his carriage-making business while renting out the upper levels.
A Colorful and Multi-Functional Past (Late 1800s–1900s)
True to the multi-functional character of Victoria’s Old Town in the late 19th century, the building wore many hats:
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The Knights of Pythias: The top floor of the building was famously occupied by the Knights of Pythias lodge, a fraternal organization of which Simeon Duck was an active member.
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A Notorious Brothel (1899–1907): From 1899 to 1907, the upper two floors of the building housed a well-known local brothel. For a time, it was run by Stella Carroll, a famous madam of Victoria’s early red-light district who became the subject of historical books.
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The Canada Hotel: Over the years, the interconnected complex of properties also served as the Canada Hotel.
Heritage Preservation and the Hyatt Hotel Project (2000s–Present)
In 2000, local philanthropist and developer Michael Williams bequeathed the property to the University of Victoria (UVic).
Due to strict modern seismic building codes, keeping the unreinforced late-Victorian brick and timber interior entirely intact proved structurally unfeasible. Following significant debate in the heritage community, Chard Development partnered with UVic to save the building’s legacy.
In mid-2025, work officially began on a new eight-story, Hyatt-branded hotel scheduled to open in 2028. The redevelopment project completely preserves and restores the historic 1892 facade and back brick wall of the , alongside the historic 1874 rubble-stone masonry wall of the original Carriage Factory.
First Growth was able to purchase some of the beams salvaged during the Duck’s Building renovation through one of our reclaimed wood providers.
