Elgin Theater- Toronto, CA
Built in 1913, Elgin Theater is one half of the last surviving Edwardian stacked theaters in the world. Designed by Thomas W. Lamb for American entertainment magnate Marcus Loew, the complex was built to show vaudeville acts: the Elgin (originally called Loew’s Yonge Street) was intended to be the work horse, featuring continuous acts daily, to patrons of modest means.
The larger of the two spaces, the lower level Elgin Theater featured gilded plaster moldings, imitation marble pillars, red brocade wallpaper, an elaborate domed ceiling, and ornate opera boxes. It showcased touring vaudeville acts, as well as short silent movies, starting at 9:30 in the morning, with an open seating format that provided continuous entertainment until late at night.
By 1928, however, advances in motion pictures rendered vaudeville obsolete. The upstairs Winter Theater was shuttered, and the lower Elgin was converted into a movie house. In 1969, Loew’s sold the aging theater, which had declined along with the surrounding neighborhood. The Elgin began to show low budget and adult films, and struggled to stay open. The orchestra pit was filled with concrete, and the opera boxes removed.
By 1981, the theater was on the brink of being demolished when it was purchased by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. Although the lobby and stairs where quickly restored, the otherwise unrenovated theater was then used for the Canadian production of Cats in 1985. Intended to have a limited six month run, the successful show was extended until March of 1987.
The theater then closed once again, undergoing a full restoration before reopening in 1989. Since that time, the theater has hosted many productions, and has been used as a filming location for several movies, including Chicago, The Shape of Water, The Umbrella Academy and It: Chapter Two.
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