From Toronto House to Live-Music Room
The Astoria occupies the ground floor of the Astoria Hotel at 769 East Hastings Street. The building opened in March 1913 as the Toronto House Apartments (architects Braunton and Leibert, developer Robert Aubrey Wallace) and took the Astoria Hotel name in 1950, when it gained a neon sign and beverage rooms. The Astoria Boxing Club ran in the basement from 1977 to 1998, and the upper floors now serve as single-room-occupancy housing while the main floor works as a bar and events space. The pub reopened for 2023 after roughly five years closed. The official site calls it a "restored 1910 building," but primary records date the opening to 1913.
All Genres on the Bill
The Astoria books across the full spectrum of music and event types: local and international live acts, DJs, art shows, and fundraisers. It welcomes rock, metal, punk, hardcore, dance and techno, pop, and noise artists, with recent heavy bills including Anvil and a Kontusion show alongside Dispossessed, Grave Infestation, and Occisor. A recurring East Van Wednesday Jam stays open to musicians of all styles. The Georgia Straight frames it as a destination for live-music lovers with rotating DJs, indie talent, and weekly dance parties.
The Room
This is an intimate room listed as a 220-guest venue, set inside the historic Astoria Hotel building. The official site markets "professional-grade sound and lighting" paired with the building's historic character, though no specific equipment models are publicly documented. The Georgia Straight describes the space as a place where "Downtown Eastside shady meets Main Street hip," a shift from its earlier life as a low-key neighbourhood beer hall.
A Foothold in the East-Side Underground
Sitting in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and Strathcona, the Astoria reads as a longtime East Van landmark and one of the few rooms in the city that hosts such a wide cross-section of events, spanning live music, DJs, art shows, and fundraisers. Its 2023 reopening restored a small-room live-music option in the east-side underground and DIY ecosystem, particularly for punk, metal, and dance bookings.
