It’s All There in Black and White: Royston Imperial Pavilion

What began as outdoor tennis courts on the Royston waterfront 100 years ago became a covered structure that hosted dances, concerts, political rallies, and sporting events.

The building, which would come to be known as the Royston Imperial Pavilion, hosted its opening dance on June 27th as seen in this article and advertisement from the Cumberland Islander of 1923.

In July 1940, as the band was setting up, a short in the wiring caused a fire that swept through the building, engulfing it completely in ten minutes. Paper decorations and greenery fuelled the blaze. There were no casualties, but the wonderful dance floor was gone.

The biggest and best dance floor in British Columbia: the Royston Imperial Pavilion, 1931. Charles Sillence photograph.

With legacy support from the Bickle Family and the Comox Valley Echo.