A Magnificent Failure: The Story of the King’s Royal Hotel and the Balmy Beach Dance Pavilion

by Richard J. Thomas

In 1902, the King’s Royal Hotel was built just north of Owen Sound. Intended to rival the finest resorts anywhere, it never lived up to its potential. In 1914, the magnificent building was demolished. Eventually the Balmy Beach Dance Pavilion was built on the site, hosting top-end talent such as Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong, but it too is no more. A Magnificent Failure remembers their rise and fall.