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Archives: Denman Arena burns to the ground

This day in Vancouver history: Aug. 20, 1936
fire
The wooden Denman Arena at the corner of Georgia and Denman streets burned to the ground in 1936. VPL Accession Number: 6650

The 10,500-seat Denman Arena, the second largest venue in North America after Madison Square Gardens, is destroyed by a fire that spread from a nearby shipyard in Coal Harbour.

The 25-year-old wooden arena was home to the Vancouver Millionaires, who won the Stanley Cup inside the rink in 1915, and the first artificial ice surface in Canada.

arena

Seven industrial buildings, two houses and 58 boats were also destroyed in the blaze, although the arena's concrete floor survived and was eventually turned into an outdoor dancefloor named the Starlight.

The arena's former location at the corner of Georgia and Denman is now part of Devonian Harbour Park.