The Hudson: The Veil Comes Away To Reveal A True Beauty

It’s a much-loved icon. It boasts astonishingly beautiful bones. It’s a project of indisputably epic proportion. It’s The Hudson – and it’s fast becoming the stuff of our modern-living dreams.

Grandly standing guard in the Uptown District of Victoria, what was once a legendary department store is well on its way to gaining legendary status all over again.

The Hudson is ultra-stylish, intelligently designed modernist residences wrapped in an historic landmark. It’s full of gorgeous original elements: beautiful windows – 243 in all, lovingly refurbished by hand – stunning terra cotta work, and soaring columns and ceilings. And in the midst of all that Georgian grandeur, it offers incredible modern features, too: luxurious touches like deep soaker tubs and radiant in-floor ensuite heating; high-tech extras like a cutting-edge moisture-monitoring system for the exterior walls; eco-focused geothermal heating and cooling.

Together, the old and the new fuse together seamlessly, bringing a contemporary, stylish lifestyle to the historic Hudson’s Bay building. In all, there are 152 remarkable homes: double-height lofts, single-level flats and magnificent penthouses. At street level, there will be retail boutiques, promising to bring even more buzz to the soon-to-be bustling neighbourhood.

And with all this in the works, bustling is also the perfect word to describe what’s happening on site. Completion is set for late this summer, so there’s plenty to keep us busy. At ground level, we’ve just completed the drilling for the geothermal exchange system. Up top, we’ll be completing the final roofing during May. Meanwhile, we’re forming the concrete slabs for level one of the parking garage and pouring the concrete in the carriageway. With the main concrete and steel structure complete, we’re busy installing insulation and drywall; the painters are following close behind. In the courtyard, the last of the windows will be installed in May.

We’re carefully restoring the heritage balustrades along the top of the historic structure and – with the Fisgard Street-side scaffolding down – we’re excited to show off our handiwork on the terra cotta façade. With sidewalks being poured in April, it won’t be long before passersby can admire The Hudson from the Fisgard and Douglas Street sides.