The new pavilion will be located closer to the rose garden in Stanley Park.
Diana McLean, Westfield Community Development Block Grant coordinator, acting director of Community Development and co-chairwoman of the Stanley Park Gala Decoration Committee, paints a pole in tiki style in preparation for Saturday's event, "Under Polynesian Skies," the park's biggest fund-raising effort of the year.WESTFIELD – It has been more than a year since the historic pavilion at Stanley Park was razed after it was discovered advanced deterioration made it unsafe, but the fund-raising efforts to replace it continue with a Hawaiian-themed gala.
“Under Polynesian Skies,” this year’s gala event, will be held Saturday night at Stanley Park.
During the event, park President Jeffrey W. Glaze will unveil plans for a $3 million structure, which will be sited in a 700- by 340-foot wooded area in the lower Kensington area by the rose garden opposite the carillon tower.
Stanley Park Managing Director Robert C. McKean said modern conservation regulations make it impossible to rebuild the pavilion on its original footprint, but that blueprints for the new one allow planners to tie into city sewer and water lines on Kensington Avenue.
He added that this is an exciting time for the park as the city can look forward to a new, eight-sided pavilion with removable glass walls and the capacity to seat more than 500 people.
The glass walls he said, will extend the time the structure can be used from one season to three-and-a-half while providing shelter during last-minute, inclement weather.
“We want to build something that will be there for the next generation the way they did for us 62 years ago,” McKean said. “We want this to last many more than 60 years.”
The new pavilion, he added, will include a professional kitchen and state-of-the-art acoustical equipment for enhanced sound.
McKean said at the time the 62-year-old pavilion was deemed unsafe that razing the landmark structure was a “tough” decision, but one that had to be made in the safety and best interest of guests following an inspection of the facility and review by a structural engineer.
“We could not put anyone in harm’s way,” he said.
Four architects volunteered their professional services in preparing designs for the new pavilion that will “continue the legacy started by Frank Stanley Beveridge,” McKean said.
McKean also said that the professionals’ willingness to prepare designs on a pro bono basis is a clear indication of the community’s sense of ownership in the park.
“It really says a lot about the people in this area and the love they have for the park and their historic connection to it,” he said.
With the addition of the new pavilion, Glaze said “the legacy of Stanley Park will continue to flourish. This is an opportunity to rebuild an appropriate pavilion facility that will take Stanley Park into the next century.”
