Construction progresses on Cineplex's Rec Room in downtown Vancouver

Construction progresses on Cineplex's Rec Room on Granville in downtown Vancouver

Construction progress on Cineplex's The Rec Room Granville at 855 Granville Street, Vancouver, as of March 10, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Metro Vancouver is still waiting for its second The Rec Room entertainment and dining hub, but construction progress is clearly being made as of late.

Cineplex first formally announced its plans in 2019 to transform its mid-block, unused theatre complex at 855 Granville Street into The Rec Room Granville.

At the time, the chain had anticipated to open The Rec Room Granville by late 2021, but the pandemic of course put a damper on the pace of construction, which first began in early 2020 just prior to the pandemic’s sudden onset.

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Daily Hive Urbanized reached out to Cineplex this week for an update on the project’s timeline, but they stated they do not have an update to share at this time.

However, based on the visual pace of the progress, if there are no more construction interruptions, The Rec Room Granville could conceivably reach completion in late 2023 or early 2024, but the timing of its exact opening could also be determined by factors such as operational labour requirements.

cineplex the rec room granville vancouver construction march 10 2023

Construction progress on Cineplex’s The Rec Room Granville at 855 Granville Street, Vancouver, as of March 10, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

This is anything but a simple construction project given that it involves the extensive retainment and restoration of the previous heritage building facades of the former Empire Granville 7 theatre complex. Structural braces that extend onto the Granville Street sidewalk have been holding up the heritage facades dating back to 1893 for the south building and 1913 for the north building, allowing new purpose-built interior structures to be constructed.

The 1986-built centre building with no heritage value was completely demolished, and a new structure has since been built. This middle section of The Rec Room Granville will be enclosed by a contemporary glass facade for its street frontage.

Construction progress on Cineplex’s The Rec Room Granville at 855 Granville Street, Vancouver, as of March 10, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Upon completion, The Rec Room Granville will have 45,000 sq ft of floor space over the new multi-storey complex completely dedicated to the attraction.

The building’s space will be roughly divided in half into two uses; half will be dedicated to dining and live entertainment, while the other half devoted to amusement games and feature attractions.

Similar to other The Rec Room locations across Canada, the downtown Vancouver attraction will have about 100 amusement games, including air hockey, pool, ping pong, as well as the latest immersive virtual reality experiences and luxury bowling.

There will be multiple dining options, such as Three10, an upscale casual restaurant that will offer a menu of shareables and handcrafted dishes. Several bars throughout the space will allow sports fans and cocktail lovers to grab a drink, eat, and watch the big game on large screens.

The basement level will be a 11,500 sq ft performance and event space — roughly half the size of the Commodore Ballroom across the street — with a capacity for up to about 640 people. This venue is made possible by using the liquor primary license of the shuttered Republic Nightclub.

Current condition amidst construction:

Construction progress on Cineplex’s The Rec Room Granville at 855 Granville Street, Vancouver, as of March 10, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Future condition upon completion:

August 2019 design of 855 Granville Street, Vancouver for Cineplex’s The Rec Room Granville. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Cineplex)

Cineplex opened Metro Vancouver’s first The Rec Room at The Amazing Brentwood mall in June 2021, and it has been regarded as an immense success over its nearly two years of operation.

The Rec Room Granville is expected to provide the Granville Entertainment District with a much-needed lift and activity.

Empire Granville 7, which had seven screen auditoriums, closed in 2012. It became a huge void on the 800 block of Granville Street over the decade that has since elapsed due to its complete lack of use and inactive, chain link fence streetfront.

The entertainment district is also set to see a temporary setback from the closure of Nordstrom immediately to the north starting this summer.

Vancouver City Council recently approved an area planning process for revitalizing the Granville Entertainment District, which is expected to focus on intensifying its retail, restaurant, entertainment venue, and hotel uses through redevelopment, and improving its public spaces as an event-friendly, vibrant, and inviting area.

“Despite the closure [of Nordstrom], there’s a new buzz and optimism around downtown Vancouver and Granville Street,” Vancouver city councillor Peter Meiszner told Daily Hive Urbanized.

“We are aggressively moving forward revitalization efforts of Granville Street, to transform it into a true 24/7 commerce and entertainment hub that’s vibrant at all hours of the day, where residents, visitors and families can feel safe and be proud of.”

August 2019 design of 855 Granville Street, Vancouver for Cineplex’s The Rec Room Granville. (Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership/Cineplex)

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