Fire at Bimini’s, October 1, 2007. Image: Icon Photography School.
Kitsilano.ca first reported on the fire at The Bimini on October 1, 2007. In case that’s too far in the distant past to recall, The Bimini is the tap house once attached to Bimini’s liquor store, which is owned by the Donnelly Group. But when I passed Bimini’s on my way home from a meeting last Friday, I noticed a lot of activity happening in the shell of the old pub. I went into the liquor store to ask and the manager told me that it’s no hoax. Reconstruction really is at long last underway. The tap house will reopen in Autumn/Winter 2011.
About the fire October 1, 2007:
Damage to the oldest of three buildings (built in in 1910) that make up Bimini’s was substantial. The Bimini was closed for rebuilding. Subsequently, various threads of gossip and snippets of misinformation have indicated the The Bimini was being rebuilt with a $2 million dollar reno, reopening in 2010. Obviously, that didn’t happen. The Bimini has been closed for over four years now.
Memories of the old pub:
“It’s a sad day – Bimini’s Pub was the birthplace of Greenpeace – the founders of the organization originally had a small office across the street and this was their afterwork hangout.”
“It’s devastating. Bimini’s was our version of “Cheers”. It’s hard to find a place like that where you know all of the staff and can always count on having a great time whether it’s watching a hockey game or dancing the night away. ”
“I was never particularly fond of the bar myself, but it was an institution nonetheless. It will be sad to see it shut down.”
Last modified: October 12, 2021
I moved to Kitsilano from White Rock just after this fire. I’ve only heard rumours and tales about Bimini’s. I’m glad that the urban legends of its renovation are true.