January 2025
Music, dancing, food and a great waterfront view. The southern Ontario resort community of Wasaga Beach has been a popular recreation and vacation destination for over a century. Now, a massive re-development plan at Beach area One will see the demolition of several of the old, wood buildings along Beach Drive, including the iconic Dardanella, which has been a fixture in Wasaga Beach for over 100 years
The Dardanella, known to many as simply The Dard, has been a popular spot for food and entertainment in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, for over 100 years. Opened in 1919, along the beachfront, by John McLean, beside his hotel, the Capstan Inn, opened seven years earlier. Hotel guests would dress for dinner, then go to the dance hall at the Dard for the evening.
The Dard was a big success, first as an extremely popular dance hall featuring all of the big bands of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, to its current incarnation as a bar, restaurant, night club.
During World War II, service men and women training at nearby Camp Borden and RCAF Detachment Edenvale would head to Wasaga Beach and the Dard for leisure and entertainment.
A restaurant section was added to the beach side of the building, with the dance hall portion continuing to host an assortment of current bands and dancing to D.J.-played music.
In spring 2015, the Town of Wasaga Beach bought most of the waterfront commercial buildings, with the intention of trying to reverse the economic decline of the beach businesses, including the Dard, that are a big part of tourism in the town. Part of the revitalization efforts included dealing with the structural issues befalling the aging wooden buildings, including the Dardanella building. This, however, seems to have been a temporary solution, as the town council continued to explore redevelopment plans for Beach Area One.
By June 2024, the years-long plan for the beachfront re-development was finally approved. The first phase is expected to begin in Spring 2025, with the demolition of the old buildings along Beach #1, including the century-old former dance hall. A new 150-room hotel, residential condominiums and retail space are proposed for this popular section of Wasaga’s beachfront.
Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith acknowledged the Dard was the town’s ‘Grand Old Opry” in its day and efforts will be made to salvage what it can of the 100-plus-year-old building.
The Capstan Inn
John and Sarah McLean ran the Capstan Inn until it was passed on to son Hugh and two daughters, Iva and Pearl, after Sarah’s died in 1931. Hugh and his children carried on until 1958, when it was sold to new owners. The Capstan Inn remained a landmark in Wasaga Beach until the 1980s, when the aging hotel with a reputation as a rowdy biker bar, was demolished.
Wasaga Waterworld, who’s main location was at the east end of Wasaga Beach, along River Road West, opened a beach front waterslide on the Capstan property in 1985. Financial issues forced Waterworld’s owners to close and demolish the beach side facility, in favour of the maintaining the main site. A children’s splash pad park now occupies the property.
Waterworld’s main site shut down as usual at the end of the summer season in 2007, with plans to re-open the following summer as usual, but the park remained closed. The waterslides and buildings were torn down in 2009. Wasaga Stars Arena now occupies the property.
Mirimar Cabins & Motel
Formerly located beside the Capstan inn. It featured a two-storey motel building on the beach side, with several cabins behind the motel building.
The cabins were torn down in 2007 and replaced by a parking lot. The motel building and the office were renovated into retail space, but by 2023, the last remnants of the Miramar Motel had been demolished.
Sources: The Dardanella – McLeans in Ontario, Facebook, Capstan Inn – McLeans in Ontario, Early Resort Community, Wasaga Beach – Wikipedia, Town Unveils Bold Plans, Exciting New Partner and Next Steps for Beachfront Redevelopment – Town of Wasaga Beach, The Dardanella…my history seeing it change…1959 to 2007, Wasaga Beach beachfront development unveiled | CTV News, Deal between Wasaga, Fram Building Group falls through, Wasaga Beach redevelopment project takes on another developer: Stonebridge Building Group | CTV News, Wasaga Beach Moves Forward, Selects New Partner for Redevelopment of Town’s Iconic Beachfront – Town of Wasaga Beach, Wasaga Beach landmark is no more, (1) Old photos of Wasaga Beach. | Facebook.
