Downtown hotel wants return of rooftop signs

KELOWNA — Big rooftop signs inadvertently removed during renovation of a downtown Kelowna hotel could be returned to their place of prominence.

Owners of the Royal Anne Hotel hope to get city permission to restore two ‘HOTEL” signs measuring 17 feet by seven feet atop the (storey) Bernard Avenue building.

Restoration of large signs would help identify the location of the building to tourists as well as pay homage to the heritage character of the hotel, which dates back to 1904 the owners say.

Because the previous signs were larger than what would be allowed under municipal rules today, the city would have to grant a variance before they could be put back in place.

“A character trademark of the iconic Royal Anne building was a roof top pillar that proudly displayed ‘HOTEL’ on all four sides. Each side enabled disoriented visitors the ability to home in on the Royal Ann from a distance,” the company’s applicant, Morgan Hewitt of Commercial Signs, writes in the variance application.

“”The rooftop signs a directional beacon, acted as long before GPS even became ‘a thing’,” Hewitt says.

Originally known as The Palace Hotel when it was built, the name was changed to the Royal Anne Hotel, after a locally-grown apple variety, in 1928. The hotel was badly damaged by fire in 1971 but it was rebuilt on the same spot.

Four HOTEL signs were inadvertently removed during a 2022 exterior renovation of the building.

Two new HOTEL signs are proposed, an illuminated one that faces west toward Okanagan Lake and a non-illuminated one that faces south toward Bernard Avenue.

Hewitt compares the non-conforming HOTEL sign as similar in its “historical nostalgia and recognition” appeal to the old Paramount movie theatre sign that still adorns the outside of a downtown brewery and restaurant on Bernard Avenue.

“By allowing the proposed variance, we can strike a balance between supporting local businesses and preserving the unique character of a historical business in our downtown core,” Hewitt says.

The application has just been received by the city. There is no date yet for when council will consider the matter.

CONTRIBUTED Owners of the Royal Anne Hotel in downtown Kelowna hope to get city permission to return two large HOTEL signs inadvertently taken off the roof during a recent renovation. Because the signs are bigger than would normally be permitted under current municipal rules, a variance would have to be granted by the city.