Classic pavilion went largely unnoticed in Stanley Park
CPR Swiss Chalet-style building gets makeover and is now being rented out for big bucks
The Stanley Park Pavilion used to be one of the chi-chi spots in Vancouver. People went in the afternoon for tea and at night for events in its grand ballroom. And the view of the rose gardens, Malkin Bowl and Coal Harbour, was sublime.
Designed in 1913 by Otto Moberg, the three-storey structure is a good example of what architectural historian Hal Kalman calls the CPR Swiss Chalet style. Its dark log siding, granite steps and multi-paned windows give it an air of another time.
Unfortunately, in recent years the pavilion has fallen out of step with contemporary Vancouver.
“If you ask anyone in Vancouver if they’ve seen this place, they have no clue,” said John Stibbard of the Capilano Group.
“There’s a lot of these little icons that have kind of fallen off the map and need to get re-established.”
Stibbard plans to do just that. The Capilano Group took over the Stanley Park Pavilion lease last year, and has spent $800,000 bringing back the first floor to its original splendour.
“The bones were amazing,” said Stibbard, whose family company also owns the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.
“All we did was a facelift, new floors and paint. There was a lot of fake stuff here. We took everything down to the bones and kept the original structure.”
One of the pleasant surprises came when they took away the dropped ceiling and found a coffered ceiling hidden underneath. The Lord Stanley ballroom has a 22-foot ceiling, with arched beams and wood panelled walls that curve skywards. The ballroom used to be quite dark, with dark mahogany stain on the walls and a black carpet. Stibbard put in a new wood floor and painted everything white, which makes it shine.
The old tea room had a fake bar left over from a movie shoot, and more black carpet. The fake bar’s gone, replaced by a new cocktail bar where guests can mill about before heading into the ballroom.
The ballroom can seat 200, but if someone wants to add on the adjacent restaurant, up to 500 people can be accommodated. It’ll cost you — renting out the whole main floor is $25,000 to $30,000 in the summer months.
Stanley’s Bar & Grill restaurant on the northern side of the structure has also been updated. Where it had been more of a cafeteria, with hotdogs and ice cream, now it offers a full “West Coast inspired” menu with teriyaki salmon, wild mushroom penne and a spicy chipotle burger.
There are several photos on the walls of the pavilion in its early days, which reveals one of its secrets — the south side of the building used to be an open air dining area, covered by a roof. It was replaced by the south wing in 1923. Stibbard leaned against a wall in the tea room to reveal another secret — the wall slides to open up the tea room to the restaurant. The handsome granite fireplace in the tea room is double sided — the other side is in the restaurant.
There’s another fireplace on the second floor, in what used to be a three-bedroom caretaker’s suite. But it isn’t part of the Capilano Group’s space, it’s the home of the Stanley Park Ecology Society.
The upstairs hasn’t been renovated like the downstairs. Wallto-wall carpet covers most of the wood floors, and the ceilings look very 1970s. But there are a couple of big spaces that see a lot of action for meetings and lectures.
Thomson’s office was once used by the park board superintendent. But the coolest space upstairs might be the old living room for the caretaker’s suite, a long space with the fireplace in the middle.
The Stanley Park Ecology Society has 15 to 18 staffers that look after 400 to 500 volunteers at any one time. One of their big jobs is helping park board staff cull the 100 invasive plant species in the park.
The second storey has a wonderful balcony that looks out over the rose garden. And there’s a lot to see, because it’s a popular spot for weddings.
“We do a lot of weddings,” said Stibbard. “We’re booked up there every single weekend from now till September.”
“The ceremonies are out here in the gardens,” said Stacy Chala of the Capilano Group.
“You do your photo, then come in here for the reception.”
Much like people probably did when the Stanley Park Pavilion opened in 1913.