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Former Red Lion Hotel on Vancouver waterfront to be demolished

The old Red Lion at the Quay is being demolished to make way for the Port of Vancouver's Terminal One project.

VANCOUVER, Wash. — The old Red Lion Hotel at the Quay is being demolished to make way for a new development on the Vancouver waterfront.

The hotel, which opened in 1960, has been closed about seven years, and a restaurant and meeting halls in the building closed more recently. 

The demolition is going to make way for a major part of the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal One project. 

The project will include a 30,000-square-foot public market on the dock area by the hotel demolition site.

“It will be a public market. It will have food and retail and gifts and different opportunities for folks to come shopping and eat,” said Port of Vancouver spokeswoman Therese Lang, who compared to the planned public market to Pike’s Place Market in Seattle.

The Port of Vancouver owns the land and will develop the site. All around it, the port has leased to developers who are adding office spaces, retail, restaurants and lodging like the AC Hotel by Marriott, set to open in late spring or summer.

RELATED: Fire breaks out at former Red Lion Hotel building in Vancouver

But clearing the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay makes way for a crown jewel in a $500 million project, and some of the materials being removed may go back into it.

“So for instance there are 100-year-old timbers inside the building that we will be saving and we will try to use them in the public market,” said Lange.

The entire Terminal One project may not be complete for five to 10 years. It’s part of a larger revitalization effort all along the waterfront, including the Grant Street Pier and other features.

“So this whole area is going to be a draw for people to come and enjoy the walkways, the pathways, the Renaissance Trail; you can come and go walking or running or ride your bikes down here,” said Lange.  

For now, it's time to take one last look at an iconic landmark that has spent more than six decades along the Columbia River just west of the Interstate Bridge.

The Port of Vancouver estimates the $1.3 million demolition, which began by removing materials inside the buildings in late 2021, will be completed in four to six weeks. 

RELATED: Waterfront Gateway developer selected, project moving forward in Vancouver

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