The First Forty Years

TheFirstFortyYears
TheHistoryofBridgesRestaurantBistroPubandDock1976-2016
WithThankstoadedicatedandfun-lovingstaffwhomadeBridgesaVancouvericon
September2016
ViewfromtheBurrardBridge
BRIDGESRESTAURANT:
THEFIRST40YEARSOFAVANCOUVERLANDMARK
“Bridges”beganastheideaoftwoUBCprofessorsin1976whenMichaelSeelig(UrbanPlanning)andNathan“Tuzzie”Divinsky
(Math)begantossingaroundtheideaofstartingasmallneighborhoodpubinVancouver.TheProvinceofBritishColumbiawas
promotingtheideaoflocalpubswhereresidentscouldgettoknowtheirneighboursinawaymodeledonEnglishpubculture.
Asacityplanner,SeeligwasfamiliarwiththeproposedrenewalofaderelictindustrialareaknownasGranvilleIsland.Hewasalso
awarethatapubonGranvilleIslandwouldmeetwithnoobjectionsfromneighbours,astheresimplywerenone.Thetwo
professorsconcludedthattheIsland,afederallyownedarea,wouldbetheideallocationfortheirnewidea.
Lackingbusinessexperience,SeeligandDivinskyapproachedAbeSacks,aVancouverindustrialistandPresidentofTreeIsland
Steel,toprovideleadership.Sacks,alongwithSeelig,andDivinsky’sspouseKimCampbell(latertobecomePrimeMinisterof
Canada),appliedtotheCanadaMortgageandHousingCorporation(CMHC),thefederalagencyresponsibleforGranvilleIsland’s
development.Twoyearslater,CMHCinvitedsome30interestedpartiestosubmitproposalsfortheredevelopmentoftheArrow
Transferbuilding,avacantwarehouselocatedatthewesternendoftheIsland.
ThethreepartnersengagedRichardHenriquezasthearchitectfortheprojectandpreparedasubmissionforaPub,Restaurant
andWineBar(laternamed“Bistro”tosatisfytheobjectionsoftheLiquorControlBoard).Afterintensecompetitionthethree
partnerswereawardedtherightstoredeveloptheArrowTransferbuilding.
Theyear1979consistedofleasenegotiations,preparationoffeasibilitystudies,preparationofarchitecturalandengineeringplans,
obtainingallnecessarybuildinganddevelopmentpermits,arduousnegotiationswiththeliquorlicensingauthoritiesandobtaining
financingfortheproject.ThatyearMannyGlasser,aVancouverhotelier,joinedasaninvestor.
ConstructionofBridgesbeganinJanuary1980withMetroConstructionasbuilders.Theexistingbuildingwasstructurallyunsound,
soinordertopreserveitalltrussesweredismantled,repairedandreturnedtotheiroriginalpositionwithreinforcement.Taking
advantageofthebuilding’sheightandvolume,asecondfloorwasadded.TherestaurantconceptandinteriordesignerDavid
VancejoinedtheteamandplayedacrucialroleincreatingBridges.GeorgeFrankeljoinedasaninvestorandGeneralManager.
BridgesPub,withitsindustriallookreflectingtheoriginalnatureofGranvilleIsland,startedtoservethepublicattheendof
December1980.
BridgesBistro,openedinFebruary1981andtheupstairsrestaurantinJuneofthatyear.TheBistrobecameaninstantsuccess
becauseofitslocationandcontemporarymenu.TheDiningRoom,withitsunmatchedviewsandsophisticatedinterior(described
inthemediaas“theNewYorklook”)wasselected“RestaurantoftheYear”bytheVancouverSun.ThatyearBridgesalso
introducedtheVancouverpublictooutdoordining.Itopeneditsnowlegendarydock,seatingover300people.
In1984,PeterHorwoodjoinedasBridgesGeneralManagerandCEO.Hecontinuesinthisroletodate.UnderPeter’s
managementBridgesexpandedthebuildingtotheeast,creatinganewentranceandaboutiqueforBridges-designedclothing
(1985).TheBistrohadacompletemakeover(1990),followedbyaredesignofthediningroominterior(1991),replacementofthe
summerdock(1993),redesignofthebarinthePub(1995)andtheconstructionofanewupperlevelterraceprovidingoutdoor
seatingforthediningroom(1998).ThemostrecentrenovationwasacompleteredecorationoftheBistroandthecreationofthe
SugarBar(2011).
SinceitsinceptionBridgeshasbecomeaVancouverlandmarkbothforlocalsandtouristsandanarchitecturallandmarkaswell.
AirlinepilotsevenusetheyellowbuildingonGranvilleIslandasanorientationpoint.Sinceitsinceptionalmost40yearsago,
Bridgescelebratedover600weddings,andhostedmajorcorporateeventsincludingaproductlaunchforCocaColaandthe
introductionofanewPorschecarmodeltoVancouver.TheBridgesgrouphassponsoredfundraisersfortheVancouver
Symphony,ArtsUmbrella,Children’sHospitalandmanyothers.Forthe2010WinterOlympicsinVancouver,Bridgespartnered
withthegovernmentofSwitzerlandtobecome“SwissHouse”duringthegames.
Forthepast36yearsBridgeshasprovidedjobsto10,000people,servedoverfivemillioncustomers,sold200tonsoffreshBC
salmon,700,000ordersoffishandchips,andtwomillionlitersofbeer.Therestaurantsawfourtonsofcheeseandtwotonsof
chocolateconsumedduringthe2010WinterOlympicsinVancouver.
Summeremployeesreturntoworkyearafteryear,turningsummerjobsontheDockintoasortofsummercamp.FifteenofBridges
currentemployeeshavebeenwiththerestaurantforover20years.MostrewardingofalltotheBridgespartnershipistheunique
familyatmosphereamongpartners,managementandemployeescreatedoverthelast40years.Thepartnersconsiderthattobe
theirhighestachievement.
TheoriginalArrowTransferBuildingin1976
Bridgesunderconstruction1980
TheoriginalArrowTransferBuilding
Earliestsketchesand"BusinessPlan"1978
DiningRoom1981
Menus1982
Dock1981
Bistro1985
DiningRoom1986
Bistro1984
Pub1986
DiningRoom1990
DiningRoom
BistroandSugarBar
BridgesDock
BridgesfromtheAir
MenuCovers
SwissHouse-WinterOlympics2010
StaffBehindtheScene
BridgesPartners
Celebrations
AnniversariesandParties
Thefacesbehindthesuccess
bridgesrestaurant.com