Commodore Ballroom

Commodore Ballroom

Address	868 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	49°16′50″N 123°7′15″W / 49.28056°N 123.12083°W / 49.28056; -123.12083
Built	1929
Opened	December 1929, reopened November 12, 1999
Renovated	1999
Closed	1930, 1996–99
Owner	Live Nation
Construction cost	C$3.5 million renovation
Former name(s)	Commodore Cabaret
Seating type	Standing room and table seating
Capacity	990
Website	www.livenation.com

The Commodore Ballroom is a renowned music venue, dance floor, and nightclub located on 800 block of Granville Street in Vancouver, British Columbia. The building was built in the Art Deco style of the late 1920s by George Conrad Reifel and designed by architect H.H. Gillingham.^[1][2] Best known for showcasing special performances, the venue is equally as famous for its sprung dance floor.^[1] Beneath the floor lies a horsehair lining which at the time only a few venues in the world showcased similar floors.^[2]

The general admission ballrooms hosts approximately 990 guests (including standing room and table seating).^[1]

The street level of the building was built for retail outlets, some of them in their time also notable. Downstairs, below street level, is the Commodore Lanes, a vintage bowling alley and poolroom.

History

The room first opened in December 1929, under the name "Commodore Cabaret"^[3]. With the onset of the Great Depression, the venue briefly closed four months later. It re-opened in November 1930, and operated under several different owners as one of Vancouver's premier entertainment venues for seven decades.^[4]

From 1936 to 1939, shows by bandleader Charlie Pawlett (d. 1981), originally of Nanaimo and a trumpet and violin player, were broadcast on CJOR radio.^[5]

Sammy Davis Jr. played The Commodore in 1948, and was interviewed there by CKMO radio host Wilf Ray.^[6] Other notable acts in following decades included Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey.^[7]

In 1969, management of The Commodore was taken over by Drew Burns,^[8] launching an era which saw the ballroom transformed into a major rock'n'roll venue.

The Commodore closed in 1996, but after $3.5 million in renovations (including a new hardwood dance floor) it reopened under the House of Blues banner on November 12, 1999. House of Blues hosted a 75th Anniversary celebration season from December 2003, 2004 to December 4, 2005, though began celebrations early on October 16, 2004 with a performance by Tom Waits.^[9]

Over the years the venue has hosted notable Grammy Award or Juno Award winning performers such as: The Tragically Hip, James Brown, U2, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Moby, Weezer, Oasis, The Police, Pearl Jam, KISS, Tina Turner, The Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Kid Rock, Hedley, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, The Ting Tings, Metric, and Franz Ferdinand among others.^[1][10][11]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Listing:Commodore Ballroom". The Greater Vancouver Visitors and Convention Bureau. http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/things_to_do/listing.details.php?category=1915&id=2966&pn=Listing%3A2966. Retrieved March 2, 2008. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Commodore Ballroom". Yellow Pages Group Co.. http://www.vancouverplus.ca/portal/profile.do?profileID=397185. Retrieved March 2, 2008. 
3. ^ Commodore Ballroom Celebrates 75 Years
4. ^ Georgia Straight: Know your history – Commodore Ballroom
5. ^ History of Metropolitan Vancouver website, 1981 Chronology page
6. ^ History of Metropolitan Vancouver website, 1948 Chronology
7. ^ Commodore Ballroomw Celebrates 75 Years, The Georgia Straight, September 30, 2004
8. ^ History of Metropolitan Vancouver website, 1969 Chronology
9. ^ Commodore Ballroomw Celebrates 75 Years, The Georgia Straight, September 30, 2004
10. ^ Usinger, Mike (September 29, 2005). "Know your history – Commodore Ballroom". Vancouver Free Press. http://www.straight.com/article/know-your-history-commodore-ballroom. Retrieved March 2, 2008. 
11. ^ "Past Events 2007". Last.fm Ltd.. http://www.last.fm/venue/8778791/+events?past=2007. Retrieved April 28, 2008. ^{[dead link]}