 The Stanley opened on December 15 , 1930 . Originally envisioned as a vaudeville venue , it was built by Frederick Guest , owner of a chain of theatres in Ontario , who reportedly fell in love with Vancouver and decided to build his dream theatre there . He hired Henry <unk> Simmonds as the architect , who designed it with a neoclassical interior and an Art Deco exterior , with seating for 1 @,@ 216 people . In order to make as high quality a theatre as possible , Simmonds used only the best materials he could find , including <unk> stone from Winnipeg and tiles from Italy , along with chandeliers , carpets and furnishings from local merchants . Like the Stanley Cup and Stanley Park , the theatre was named after Governor General of Canada Lord Stanley . 
