The Takata family operated a Japanese tea house in Gorge Park until the end of 1941.
The Gorge Park Pavilion in Esquimalt was officially inaugurated on Saturday, replacing a Japanese tea house that was destroyed by vandals during World War II.
Several hundred people attended tours, speeches and a performance by Uminari Taiko, an island-based taiko ensemble that promotes the art of Japanese drumming.
The Takata family operated a Japanese tea house in Gorge Park until 1941 when they, along with other Canadians of Japanese descent, were sent to internment camps during World War II.
The design of the new pavilion at 1070 Tillicum Rd. Is influenced by the tea house and Japanese-style architecture.
Esquimalt received money from the capital’s regional district to host the McLoughlin Point wastewater treatment plant. This money was used to build the $ 10 million two-story pavilion, which has spaces for weddings, banquets, classrooms, meetings, and small conferences.
The pavilion features floor-to-ceiling windows and large balconies overlooking the park’s Japanese gardens.