In June 1925, the anticipation was high for Victoria’s newest entertainment and conference complex—the Crystal Garden. Commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), the project was meant to compliment the Empress Hotel, as well as attract Victorians to boost both the hotel’s revenues, and it's image in the community.
For the design, the CPR turned once again to Francis Rattenbury—the architect behind the Empress, the harbour-front Steamship Terminal, and the Parliament Buildings—who teamed up with local architect Percy Leonard James to design and build the ambitious project.
Swimmers enjoying the newly opened Crystal Gardens Pool. Note the warm water spout in the middle!
Inspired by London’s Crystal Palace, the building shone like a jewel in downtown Victoria. Its centrepiece was a massive 150-foot saltwater swimming pool, the largest heated indoor pool in the British Empire at the time. Holding 250,000 gallons, it was filled with seawater pumped all the way from Dallas Road, then heated by the Empress laundry steam, then pumped across (under) Douglas street before entering the pool through a cascading spout.
If aquatics wasn’t someone's style, they could simply enjoy a cup of tea or a nice lunch since the four-sided mezzanine that overlooked the pool served both. In addition to the restaurant, at either end of the building there were maple-floored ballrooms that hosted dances and banquets, while a third hall doubled as a gymnasium and concert venue. On rare special occasions, the pool could be drained and transformed into an event space.
From the outset, the Crystal Garden was an extravagant multi-purpose entertainment centre, hosting everything from beauty contests to art exhibitions to business conferences to military training exercises, all under the elegance of its elegant glass roof. For nearly four decades, it was one of Victoria’s liveliest gathering places.
But the glamour didn’t last forever. By the 1930s, concerns arose about bacteria in the seawater used to fill the pool, despite official reassurances it was properly chlorinated. Attendance began to dip -no pun intended; and then in May 1967, disaster struck when a chlorine gas leak sent 34 people—mostly children—to hospital. Though all survived, the incident left an indelible stain on Crystal Garden’s dwindling reputation, from which it never recovered. Finally in 1971, it closed its doors for good.
The lush, tropical and multi-level Crystal Garden Conservatory - perfect for weddings and other social events
By the mid-1970s, the abandoned building had fallen into disrepair. Its roof leaked, steel supports corroded, and a lot of rubble and trash filled the pool. Demolition seemed inevitable; that was until the Provincial Capital Commission intervened in 1980 and repurposed the structure as the Crystal Garden Conservatory by renovating, then filling the space with exotic plants, birds, and butterflies. Visitors could now wander about in the lush tropical setting, which also became a popular venue for parties, weddings and other social events.
The conservatory thrived for nearly two decades; however due to the high cost of operation, it closed it's doors in 2004. A brief attempt at revival came in 2006 with The B.C. Experience, an ill-conceived tourist attraction that quickly failed. Two years later, the final renovation of the Crystal Gardens happened when it became a wing of the Victoria Conference Centre that’s operated by the Empress, who leases it from the City of Victoria.
Today, the Crystal Garden remains one of Victoria’s most striking heritage landmarks. Though its identity has shifted—from swimming palace to tropical conservatory to convention hall—it continues to offer hints of its former glory.
For example, if you look up through the west side of the glass roof on the Douglas Street side, you may spot the silhouette of a woman in a 1920s bathing suit perched on the original diving board. She isn’t a ghost— she's just a reminder of a time when the Crystal Garden was more than glass and steel.
Even if you can’t see her, you'll surely notice the bold CPR initials carved above the entranceway doors. They are the proud signature reminding us of that the Crystal Gardens is just one more Rattenbury-designed railway building that, along with the Empress Hotel and the Terminal Steamship building, has endured through an ever-changing Victoria.
Want to learn more about The Crystal Gardens or other iconic Victoria Landmarks? Why not join HIDDEN VICTORIA's Iconic and Obscure Walking Tour and discover the "hidden gems" of the city! For more info, CLICK HERE.