Commodore Ballroom celebrates 85 years
Posted November 26, 2014 11:36 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Commodore Ballroom is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year and tonight it will be recognized by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation as one of its Places That Matter.
The foundation’s executive director Judith Mosley explains why the Commodore is such a big part of our city’s past.
“I think for many people who have grown up in Vancouver, the Commodore stands out as really the venue in many ways right on Granville Street, what has for a very long time been the entertainment district in the heart of the city and it has a long history going back that people may be less aware of.”
“It was built in 1929, it opened right at the end of the year in fact, and was designed by a prominent architect and built by an important family, the Reifel family, who did some interesting things in the city at that time.”
“It has had a long history of really being a hub of music activity in the city but it was really later on in its history that I think it really acquired the fame that it perhaps now has. From 1969, it really became quite the rock n’ roll venue in the city.”
Mosley says the list of the big names who have played there is quite long after all these years. “I think in the earlier years it was a centre for Dal Richards, Sammy Davis Jr., and later the Police, and U2, and others as well and it continues to be a really vibrant venue in the city.”
The Places that Matter program has been around for some time, why wait until now to recognize the Commodore?
“It’s been a large project that we’ve undertaken. As you say, the Places That Matter project was actually launched in 2011 to celebrate Vancouver’s 125th anniversary of incorporation as a city. So, as part of that, there were 125 sites identified and, as you can imagine, that takes a while to roll out that program across the city. We do try, with each of these plaques, aim to have a presentation of the plaque that involves the community each time and so this one is number 79. We’re on a way to the 125 but it does take time to put them together,” adds Mosley.
“This seemed like a really great opportunity as well to tie it in with a book launch that is happening at the Commodore, so it’s not just our plaque event but also the launch of a book about the history of the Commodore. So, it’s going to be really great event with some history and stories, but also some good music.”
If you’d like to check out the festivities, it all gets started at 7:00 p.m. at the Commodore Ballroom.
