George Patey - The Banjo Palace

George Patey - The Banjo Palace

Postby Neumann Sennheiser » Mon Sep 26, 2011 11:50 am

A local Vancouver businessman, George Patey owned a roaring twenties themed nightclub in Gastown circa 1971 which became world famous for one macabre reason only; the urinal wall in the men's room was reconstructed from more than 400 bricks from the original Chicago wall of the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

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Patey had the 6' high by 10 ' wide massacre section ( that was in the line of fire) painstakingly taken apart and numbered and had them shipped like fine china into Canada, declared through customs as construction material at several pennies duty apiece. He then pondered the possiblities for his new acquistion first having them placed in a crime show at a shopping mall, then museums and galleries, however in 1968, the timing was a bit off as Robert Kennedy had just been assassinated and the public was in no mood to view history of wholesale murder. Patey closed the exhibition and placed his bricks in retirement. In 1971, he opened a bar called the Banjo Palace and installed the bricks inside the men's washroom. Plexiglass was placed in front of it, so that patrons could urinate and try to hit the targets painted on the plexiglass. The story has it that, if you hit a target, the urinal would flush.

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The bar closed in 1976.

Anyone have any guesses as to where this Gastown location might be and what's there today?

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Re: George Patey - The Banjo Palace

Postby The Unknown Copywriter » Mon Sep 26, 2011 1:53 pm

Here's a clue...last comment:

http://www.myspace.com/newvaudevilleband

It's from 4 years ago, but what the heck.

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Re: George Patey - The Banjo Palace

Postby Neumann Sennheiser » Mon Sep 26, 2011 2:52 pm

Hmm, the images I attached all seem to have vanished. Too bad, not only were they interesting it'll be much more difficult to identify the building without a picture.
Sidestory: George Patey was a very interesting and colorful local character, very involved in show business. He created and choreographed "stage coach robberies" for the tourists at Burnaby Heritage Park during the 67 Centennial year, used to M.C. shows for Mitzi Gaynor and others whenever they came through town and was the stand in and stunt double for Rory Calhoun when he was co-starring with Marilyn Monroe in "River of No Return", filmed in Banff National Park in 1953.
BTW, I've worked with at least one other person who crewed on that film-set and he told me some really great and funny stories about Monroe and her other co-star Robert Mitchum...but another time for that.

George Patey passed due to a heart attack while on vacation in Hawaii, Boxing Day, 2004.
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Re: George Patey - The Banjo Palace

Postby Steve Sanderson » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:02 pm

Wasn't it at 157 Alexander Street, just off Main ??
Where the Alibi Room Bar/Restaurant is now.
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Re: George Patey - The Banjo Palace

Postby Neumann Sennheiser » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:58 pm

Steve Sanderson wrote:Wasn't it at 157 Alexander Street, just off Main ??
Where the Alibi Room Bar/Restaurant is now.


Yes, that's the same building as in the 1972 picture

trying the image location once again:

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