Last days of the Horseshoe Bay Community Hall

From the Horseshoe Bay Community Hall’s creation in 1947 until the early 1980s it was a busy spot and the centre of the community.

Proceeds from the 1947 Salmon Derby, held in the Bay, went to the community association towards the community hall. The winner of the derby was a Mr. Carl Thompson, and his prize was a handmade clinker-built fishing boat donated by Mr. Sewell Sr.

The hall was home to an active Sunday School run by Miss Chester and Miss House, and headquarters for the Brownies and Scouts groups. It hosted movie nights, tap dancing, Vaudeville evenings, bingo games, birthday parties, children’s shows, wedding receptions, and dances, some of which were closed down after midnight noise complaints. I’m told that New Year’s Eve parties got quite raucous.

“The management of the Hall has fallen into a vacuum and the Hall is apparently used mainly for teenage rock dances,” lamented then Mayor Derrick Humphreys in a letter dated October 1984. He was also concerned about the cost to the municipality of the forgiven taxes and the grants provided to maintain the hall.

At that time, Rupert Harrison (municipal archivist) wrote in answer to a question from the Mayor, “the building can hardly qualify as a heritage structure being less than forty years old.” He continued: “Initially it served as the only community centre for the area, (but) as the community grew and a school and two churches were erected, they provided somewhat better accommodation, the hall’s use declined.”

Meanwhile the directors of the Horseshoe Bay Community Association were having problems. Their diminishing group of volunteers was struggling to maintain the hall. It was falling into disrepair and becoming more of a problem than a benefit to the community. Then, just after Christmas, they realized the taxes had not been paid and this time there was no help on offer from the municipality. One resident loaned them money and they arrived at municipal hall at the last moment, to pay the outstanding amount. What to do next?

After consultation with a lawyer, the property was listed for sale in January 1986 and sold later that year to a developer who built a duplex, which is what the land was zoned for. The funds were invested while the group deliberated over the best use for the money. Many ideas were discussed, but it was the idea of a children’s water park, a lasting gift to serve locals and visitors alike, that received the most support. However, not all residents liked the idea, so partway through construction the municipality had to stop work on the project because of their complaints.

“Where were all those people during the last couple of years when we were looking for ideas for projects?” asked association president Julian Alfreds. Critics said they were offended that they did not know about the project until work started, but Mr. Alfreds insisted that meetings had been publicized and posters had been put up. Despite these problems it was built and enjoyed for many years. Following the current revitalization, the park will continue to be an important part of our village.

Later donations followed, with Lions Gate Hospital receiving $21,000, and West Vancouver Memorial Library $10,000. The final $2,000 was given in March 1991 to the Horseshoe Bay Business and Professional Association when the two associations merged. Thank you to the West Vancouver Archives for their help with this story, the first part of which appeared in the January 2023 edition of The Beacon.