The Pavilion is Stanley Park's oldest structure and was originally built as a concession stand in 1911.
It has been a venue for thousands of dinners, parties, and wedding receptions, none of which I ever attended. In fact, I had never seen the outside of it, let alone the inside, until I walked the grounds virtually alone during the 2020 lockdown.
It's an impressive and iconic place with strong links to the history of Vancouver, and I look forward to spending more time there.
![stanley-park-pavilion](https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/via/images/historic-images/stanley-park-pavilion.gif)
John Bentley is an architectural photographer who has photographed the inside and outside of thousands of buildings around Vancouver. Using images from the Vancouver Archives he offers a glimpse of the past and present on his site Vancouver Now & Then.