Hastings Street is one of the most historic strips of roadway in Vancouver and it it currently home to a large piece of Vancouver’s theatrical history that was supposed to undergo a renovation and revival for 2010.
“The Pantages Theatre, during its heyday it hosted stars like Charlie Chaplin, Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth. Also, a nephew of the original Mr Pantages, Peter Pantages, took over the theatre in the 1920s and also founded Vancouver’s Polar Bear Club. [Miss604]”
At the turn of the 20th century Vancouver was just starting to boom. Building on up the backs of the industry workers, loggers, and Klondike gold rushers there needed to be some form of entertainment and Mr. Pantages was just the man to provide it. The original Pantages Theatre opened in 1908 and went through many iterations, which once involved being called The State in 1919 featuring burlesque acts. Through all of its phases The Pantages was indeed Vancouver’s vaudeville beacon and another of the same name was opened down the street (on Hastings) in 1917. [Miss604]
Unfortunately the refurbishing of the Pantages, planned since 2005, will no longer be taking place.
There are for sale signs up at one of western Canada’s oldest theatres, the Pantages near Hastings and Main in downtown Vancouver. The 100-year-old venue could soon be sold and demolished, meaning a significant part of Vancouver’s history would be lost. [CTVbc]
Local publicist Rebecca Coleman adds her personal and professional experience to the story.
This theatre is magic. I don’t know any other way of describing it. Being in there was amazing. Even though the theatre is derelict and falling down, the energy is incredible. The history of that building, and its potential impact its resident companies, specifically, and the Vancouver arts community in general, is immense.
Coleman also gives more background about the plans that were proposed for the Pantages and adjacent buildings.
In 2005, developer Marc Williams bought the property and the four adjoining ones to the west. The plan was to gut and restore the 650-seat theatre (which has incredible acoustics), build a new lobby, a new entrance, an art gallery, and 130+ units of social housing.
On April 16, 2008, after many, many tours, meetings, and getting people on board, we had a press conference announcing Williams’ $26 million development plan. It was attended by media, members of the arts community, and the Downtown East Side, and it was a huge success. [The Art of the Business]
I was personally looking forward to Pauline the opera about Pauline Johnson’s life that Margaret Atwood was even involved with. This, on top of my appreciation for Vancouver’s history and support of reviving the Downtown Eastside community, makes the news of the property sale all that more disappointing.
If you would like to learn more check out the Pantages website or Facebook group and consider signing the petition to get the attention of Vancouver City Council.
According to Rebecca Coleman, “Vancouver needs the Pantages. The Arts community desperately needs more performance space. The Downtown East Side would benefit both from the social housing, and access to and involvement with cultural events in their own neighborhood.”
Update From the Heritage Vancouver Society: Feb 23, 2011: There is no viable proposal to save the Pantages. It continues to deteriorate beyond the point of repair. Its imminent interior demolition is expected, but as of this update, no demolition permit has been issued by the City.
Update From the Heritage Vancouver Society: April 6, 2011: It’s official – a demolition permit has now been issued by the City for both the Pantages Theatre and adjacent sites.
While watching the “halibut battle” on Iron Chef tonight I was reminded of an email I received inviting me to the 1st Annual BC Sustainable Seafood Chowder Competition taking place tomorrow at the Vancouver Aquarium.
Come, watch and taste the creations of five of BC’s finest chefs during the first Annual BC Sustainable Seafood Chowder cook-off. The winner will be working with Raincoast Trading Ltd to develop their winning chowder into a retail product. Who should win? We invite you to join us to help our judges decide. [Vancouver Aquarium]
Competitors include: William Tse (Goldfish Pacific Kitchen), Jonathan Boerboom (Nu Restaurant), Jack Eng (Coast Plaza Hotel), Quang Dang (C Restaurant), Ross Johnston (Fairmont Waterfront Hotel). “The winning recipe will be used by Raincoast Trading in a new sustainable seafood chowder product.”
The judges will be: Julian Bond, Executive Chef (Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts), Guy Dean (Albion Fisheries), Kim Stockburn (Raincoast Trading), Sid Cross, Co-founder (BC Chefs Table Society), Sophie Liu (Global TV).
The event will be in celebration of November being declared Ocean Wise Month, “Ocean Wise is the Vancouver Aquarium’s newest conservation program committed to helping consumers make ocean-friendly seafood choices. Ocean Wise works directly with restaurants and markets helping them to make sustainable seafood purchasing decisions, in turn, those items are highlight for consumers through the use of the Ocean Wise symbol.”
If you’re looking to learn more about the Ocean Wise program, or would like to add some value to your trip to the Aquarium tomorrow, consider checking out this inaugural (and tasty) event which starts at 11:00am.
I only have one more trip to the polls this fall. Federal election done (won by Hedy Fry in Vancouver Centre), BC by-election done (won by Spencer Herbert in Vancouver-Burrard), and now I just have to catch up on my civic politics for the Vancouver Vote on November 15th.
I’d like to conduct some interviews, like I did for the by-election, and find out more about the candidates. So far I’ve been invited to Vision Vancouver events (and checked out their swanky new website with interactive map) and I’ve been sent campaign videos from COPE, which are amusing.
This is not an endorsement for COPE, I’m simply sharing
If you would like to learn more about the upcoming civic elections in Vancouver or your area (since the entire region will be voting for their municipal government) let me know what you’d like to me to cover. To start, here are some basics:
Candidates for Mayor of Vancouver
Britten, Patrick C. – Nude Garden Party
Buday, Golok Z.
Caissy, Menard D.
Emery, Marc
Hansen, Mike
Hatoum, Joe (Maple Ridge)
Jimenez, Angel L.
Kaplan, Leon
Krawczyk, Betty – Work Less Party
Kuah, Jeff (Burnaby)
Ladner, Peter – NPA
Maxwell N Bur, R.H.
Ritchie, Bill
Robertson, Gregor – Vision Vancouver
Yee, Scott
You can also view biographies along with candidates for councillor, candidates for park commissioner, and candidates for school trustee over on the Vancouver Votes website.
Also, if you have enjoyed my election coverage so far (covering many levels of government) please consider visiting the VoterMedia website, where you can check out other great election blogs.
A few years ago those “You know you’re from Canada when…” and “You know you’re from Vancouver when…” lists were forwarded from inbox to inbox and have now settled in nicely as Facebook pages for the masses to read and chuckle to themselves, “hehe, it’s funny because it’s true.” One item that was always on the list for “You know you’re from Vancouver when…” was something like, “…You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.”
Tonight will be a soggy one, that’s pretty much for certain. So once you bundle up your little vampires, monsters, and Hannah Montanas here are some tips to keep them safe.
Raincoats and garbage bag ponchos will keep them dry but make sure to slap on some reflective tape, some of those blinky light-up shoes, or something else that will still make your children visible in the dark.
Carry a flashlight, have them carry a flashlight (I recommend one of those fun ones where it’s like a Jack-o-Lantern head).
Remember the importance of cross-walks. A lot of vehicles won’t be out tonight (except maybe downtown since it is Friday) but make sure not to walk in the street and be sure to cross at intersections. This does make the most sense if you have an efficient candy-collection route plotted anyway.
Start earlier – maybe even before dinner time since it will probably get dark before 5:00pm today.
“No lights, no candy.” That was always our motto, only visit houses that have their lights on – and beware of any stuffed scarecrows out on the front porch cause there’s probably someone in that costume just waiting to scare the bejesus out of you.
Always go through your child’s candy before you let them eat it. Take out all the unwrapped items (and popcorn kernels that guy just tossed in from his own bowl from by the TV because he forgot to get candy but still wanted to give the kids something anyway). Also stay away from homemade items and fresh fruit. Fruit leather on the other hand mmmm keep that.
Also make sure they can move around in their costumes. There was this one time I went as a big present for Halloween, which basically meant I put myself in a box, cut out arm holes and stuck a bow on my head. Unfortunately the arm holes were on the sides of the box so I couldn’t reach around the front to hold out my candy bag. I think at one point it got stapled to the box but when it got too heavy I was outta luck, but I digress.
The Shaw Pumpkin Patrol will also be on duty in neighbourhoods around the Lower Mainland. Be safe and have fun!
For those staying in tonight, tethered to computers or mobile devices, consider playing along with Trick or Tweet.
Microsoft produced this to address the “I’m a Mac / I’m a PC” ads about a month ago:
Several celebrities are visible throughout the campaign, including company co-founder Bill Gates, Deepak Chopra, and Eva Longoria; Microsoft employees, including Gates, have an @windows.com e-mail address attached to their appearances to emphasize their human connection.
Two shorter ads have also appeared with a similar exploration of the theme where people in various jobs explain how they wear different kinds of suits or are not alone, again tackling what Microsoft perceives as stereotypes of the average Windows user. [Electronista]
… and then Apple responded:
For PC users who are tired of Mac users telling them how much their productivity could be improved with an Apple system (and how your computer won’t crash all the time, and your operating system won’t suck) don’t worry, Apple still only has barely 10% of the marketshare… but they are gaining momentum so the smugness will only continue.
