RIP Waldorf Hotel

Saddened to hear the unbelievable news this afternoon about Vancouver’s Waldorf Hotel closing abruptly in just over a week’s time. It was a unique venue in East Van and it’s place as an important cultural hub is well documented across the nation. Any given night could include burlesque, performance art, salon-style art shows, up-and-coming garage rockers, an outdoor food truck festival, vintage sale, jazz in the restaurant and a major recording artist laying tracks downstairs on the vintage gear. All at the same time.

This was the strength of the Waldorf and a testament to the vision behind it. This is to say nothing of the 65-year history of this place, including the world famous Tiki Bar – one of the last of it’s kind in North America. It had deep history and an incredible re-imagining bringing it to the present. I’ve seen some great shows there – Sun Araw, Black Mountain, Twilight Circus Dub Soundsystem, Damo Suzuki, Sonic Boom – and I’ve regretfully missed a few here and there, too – The Men, Amen Dunes, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Kode9, Ty Segall, etc, etc… I hope the folks behind the Waldorf are able to pick up and create something like this again. The space may be different, but the community that helped shape the good vibes of the Waldorf aren’t going anywhere.

Read all about it in their press release right here.

Photographed on Canada Day in Vancouver, 2012.