‘A great place that promoted local music’
Walls come tumbling down on one-time Crystal Beach hot spot
A piece of Crystal Beach history came tumbling down this week, as demolition crews set about bringing down the old Palmwood restaurant adjacent to Waterfront Park.
For many, the news of the end for the Palmwood — which shut its doors for good last September — brought memories flooding back.
“Summer weekends in the basement, named Circus by the Sea, were legendary,” said Ron Cooper via Facebook. “Lineups to get in, barely any seating. Draught beer … loud music and stifling hot. So much fun.”
In an email, former councillor Bob Steckley said he worked as a cook in the kitchen at the Palmwood back in 1979.
“My main memories of working there were the large number of chicken wings we sold, and how many cases and kegs of beer they went through weekly,” he said.
He also recalled duties for Saturday afternoon staff meant cleanup duty at Circus by the Sea.
“You had to go downstairs to the Circus by the Sea and shovel up all the broken glasses and beer bottles from the Friday night party so they could open up again Saturday night,” he said.
For Ken Fretz, the memories were too many to choose one that stood out.
“The old line, ‘I could write a book’, would apply,” Fretz said via Facebook.
“Shall I say probably a million memories? Some good, some bad, some unprintable and most quite hilarious!”
For William Chiesi, the Palmwood was all about the music.
“The Palmwood was a great place that promoted local music,” he said in an email to the Post. “I started going there in the ’70s as an underage teenager.”
It was a time when summer residents “dominated the scene,” he added.
“Crystal Beach was full of party cottages, as were the surrounding communities,” he said.
The Palmwood has a lengthy history. Originally known as Sheehan’s Terrace Inn back in 1929, it was later renamed the Palmwood after it was sold to a new owner in 1963. The Palmwood changed hands several more times before it was finally closed for good last year.
The site will become the home to a new five-storey mixed use development. In what will eventually be known as the Palmwood Condos, the development will include commercial space at ground level and seven two-bedroom condominiums spread out over the remaining four storeys, including a 2,600-square-foot unit on the top floor. The second, third and fourth floors will each feature two units between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet.
Prices for the condo units have not been disclosed.