West Vancouver buys old Boathouse restaurant in Horseshoe Bay for museum | Daily Hive

District of West Vancouver buys former Boathouse restaurant building in Horseshoe Bay for new art museum

Former The Boathouse Building at Horseshoe Bay Sanctuary in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

Nearly a decade after its closure, the former The Boathouse Restaurant building on the Horseshoe Bay waterfront has changed hands, following its sale to the District of West Vancouver.

In a public meeting late last month, West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager announced District Council had made the decision to acquire the 1981-built two-storey restaurant building perched over the water for the new replacement and expanded home of West Vancouver Art Museum.

Sager noted that planning for the potential acquisition and relocation first began in May 2024, when Councillor Linda Watt first informally suggested the idea.

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This prompted negotiations to purchase the building from the Sewell family, a prominent West Vancouver lineage that established Horseshoe Bay’s first marina nearly a century ago, shaping the area’s maritime heritage.

The building was initially home to The Lodge Restaurant and The Sewell Restaurant, before being converted into The Keg Steakhouse & Bar and then finally, The Boathouse Restaurant.

“I think many of us will remember, it is a wonderful place for friends and family to get together and have meals and celebrations, and the building has its roots in First Nations heritage and design. The sweeping views over the ocean and up Howe Sound are stunning, and I believe I speak for all members of Council to say this will be an absolutely wonderful community facility as we go forward,” said Sager during the meeting.

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Former The Boathouse Building at Horseshoe Bay Sanctuary in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

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Horseshoe Bay Sanctuary in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

The Boathouse Restaurant closed this location in 2016, when the Sewell family partnered with local developer Westbank to pursue the Horseshoe Bay Sanctuary mixed-use residential development at Sewell’s Landing.

Reaching a height of up to 12 storeys, the buildings that form the 2022-completed The Sanctuary — featuring a West Coast contemporary design — contain 158 homes and some ground-level retail/restaurant uses that activate the newly built waterfront public spaces, and effectively expand Horseshoe Bay’s retail village.

As a part of the major redevelopment, the marina was also upgraded, including renovations to the former restaurant building. The project was designed by Merrick Architecture.

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Newly built Horseshoe Bay Park in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

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Horseshoe Bay Sanctuary in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

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Horseshoe Bay Sanctuary in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

Under the District’s new ownership, the building will now undergo further renovations to outfit the space for the needs of the new art museum.

Currently, the art museum is located at the historic Gertrude Lawson House next to Municipal Hall in Ambleside. The new Horseshoe Bay location will double the art museum’s floor area from the existing size of 3,800 sq. ft. to about 8,800 sq. ft., providing new opportunities for arts programming and activities.

The cost of covering the former restaurant building’s interior renovations for the art museum could be at least partially covered by private fundraising. The future use of Gertrude Lawson House will be determined at a later time.

According to the municipal government, such a project was identified in the 2019 arts and culture facilities plan.

In Fall 2023, shortly after the completion of The Sanctuary, the municipal government also completed its renovation of the adjacent Horseshoe Bay Park, now complete with new plaza spaces, seating, landscaping, waterfront pathways, public art, and a children’s playground.

Over the longer term, BC Ferries could also make major improvements to the passenger terminal facilities of its Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal, which could have a public realm that ties in with the park.

Newly built Horseshoe Bay Park in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

Newly built Horseshoe Bay Park in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

Newly built Horseshoe Bay Park in West Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

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