 In 1911, the Festival of Empire was held at the building to mark the coronation of George V and Queen Mary.Large pavilions were built for and by the Dominions, that for Canada for instance replicating the Parliament in Ottawa.A good record of the Festival is provided by the photogravure plates in the sale catalogue published shortly afterwards by Knight, Frank and Rutley and Horne & Co "The Crystal Palace Sydenham To be sold at auction on Tuesday 28th November" (London, 1911)

During the First World War, it was used as a naval training establishment under the name of HMS "Victory VI", informally known as HMS "Crystal Palace".