VANCOUVER — Downtown Vancouver’s historic May Wah Hotel is for sale for $9.99 million. According to the Vancouver Sun, the 120-single occupancy room property has been owned by the Shon Yee Benevolent Association since 1926, but its directors think it’s time for someone else to take over.

The building’s real-estate agent, Royal Pacific Realty’s Erik Kwok, says there is plenty of interest in the property. “It’s actually quite surprising, we had a lot of response,” he says. “Yesterday, we had six realtors bringing clients to look into it.”

A problem for potential buyers would be renovating the property, as it is designated as a Heritage B building and is located in a historical district. As a result, the municipality could charge the new owner $125,000 per unit to convert the rooms.

The four-storey brick structure was designed by architect William Frederick Gardiner in 1913 and stretches over three lots at 260 East Pender, in Vancouver’s Chinatown district. The hotel was renamed the New Orient in 1947, the Le-Kiu in 1950, the Garden in 1956, the Sydney in 1969 and renamed once more to the May Wah in 1980.

The hotel’s main floor also has five storefronts. [Vancouver Sun]

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