The Trump International Hotel and TowerVancouver is a skyscraper in DowntownVancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 63-storey,, mixed-use tower is located at 1151 West Georgia Street, and was completed in 2016. The Trump Tower is the second tallest building in the city, after the Shangri-La tower located across West Georgia Street. The tower, designed by architect Arthur Erickson, is triangular in shape, twisting gradually with height up to 45 degrees from bottom to top. The building is described as having a 'hyperbolic paraboloid' form; the design is similar to the Absolute Tower in Mississauga, Ontario and Turning Torso in Malmö, Sweden. The developer, Holborn Group, is aiming for LEED Silver certification for the building. Holborn is backed financially by Tony Tiah Thee Kian, chairman of TA Enterprise. The nine-level derelict building formerly occupying the site was demolished.
History
The initial project was cancelled on February 25, 2009. Buyers who purchased luxury condos in the tower received letters informing them of the project's cancellation. On June 1, 2009, Holborn Group president Joo Kim Tiah said his company still wanted to see the plan completed on the prime downtown site—if the City of Vancouver wanted to work with him. On August 21, 2009, it was announced that the project would definitely resume, possibly as an even taller building while keeping the same design by Arthur Erickson. Work on the project would resume as soon as early 2010, after the Winter Olympics. However, it was not certain as of August 21, 2009, if the Ritz-Carlton "brand" would still remain associated with the project. Developers announced August 27, 2009, that the project will proceed. They are re-proposing the project, requesting a height increase from to. The proposal called for a higher number of smaller housing units with a more efficient use of floor space while keeping the exterior of the tower aesthetically unchanged. The new proposal went through a series of public hearings before Vancouver city council was scheduled to vote on it in November 2009. The project was finally revitalized in mid-2011 without Ritz-Carlton as the hotelier. The tower was redesigned from 58 to 67 storeys and an additional 2 floors of underground parking. In mid-2012, the new hotel tenant was announced to be Marriott. Excavation recommenced in the spring of 2012, with actual construction work beginning in August. By November 2012, the foundation had been completed and substantial construction had commenced, with half of the first floor of parking being completed. In 2013 at a local press conference, Holborn Group president Joo Kim Tiah, developer of the site, along with the Trump Organization president Donald Trump, accompanied by his three children Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, unveiled the $360 million Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver. The 63-story condo and hotel complex opened on February 28, 2017, with Donald Jr. and Eric Trump joined by developer Joo Kim Tiah. The opening was met with public protests and a boycott of the ceremony by Mayor Robertson and other local politicians. The building consists of the Trump Hotel on the first 15 floors, topped by 217 condos on the remaining floors. On March 1, 2018, CNN reported that the FBI has opened a counterintelligence investigation into Ivanka Trump; scrutinizing her international business deals at the tower.
Hotel
The 147-room Trump Hotel, located on the first 15 floors of the building, will also include a champagne lounge, signature restaurant, Trump Spa, and of meeting and event space. The hotel will also feature Vancouver's first pool bar nightclub.
Reception
On December 15, 2015, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson wrote a letter to the developers of the Trump Tower Vancouver to remove Donald Trump's name from the building. Robertson stated that "Trump’s name and brand have no more place on Vancouver’s skyline than his ignorant ideas have in the modern world." A petition to remove the name was also mentioned in the letter, with more than 5000 residents voicing their concerns. British Columbia PremierChristy Clark agreed with the movement, stating that "Donald Trump doesn’t represent our city." Similar movements occurred in Toronto, which led to the Trump International Hotel and Tower, Toronto being purchased for renovation and renaming in 2017.
