The Elgin and Winter garden theatre
The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre was created in 1913. It was designed by Thomas Lamb as a double Decker theatre complex. The Elgin Theatre opened in 1913 and the Winter Garden Theatre opened in 1914.
The Winter Garden Theatre was constructed seven stories above the Elgin Theatre. The Elgin Theatre was all beautifully gold and with luxurious fabrics, while the Winter Garden Theatre was hand-painted to look like a real garden, its ceiling are a mass of real beech boughs with lanterns hanging from branch to branch.
The Winter Garden closed in 1928; it was closed for more than half a century, but the Elgin was still a Movie House. In 1981, The Ontario Heritage Trust bought the building. It was designated a historic site of Canada in 1982, because it is Canada’s last untouched example of one of the world’s pre-eminent movie palace architects, and also because it was unique in Canada because it includes many features later found in movie palaces.
In 1987, $29 million restoration began. The walls of the Winter Garden had to be cleaned using hundreds of pounds of raw bread dough, so it wouldn’t damage the original hand-painted water colour artwork.
In December 1989, the Elgin and Winter Garden reopened, after the reopening everybody wanted to come in and see how the theatres changed and to see all of the theatres unique features, such as the Winter Garden’s tree branches and lanterns. One of the centre’s greatest treasures, got discovered during the restoration, it was the world’s largest collection of Vaudeville scenery dating back from 1913.
The Winter Garden Theatre was constructed seven stories above the Elgin Theatre. The Elgin Theatre was all beautifully gold and with luxurious fabrics, while the Winter Garden Theatre was hand-painted to look like a real garden, its ceiling are a mass of real beech boughs with lanterns hanging from branch to branch.
The Winter Garden closed in 1928; it was closed for more than half a century, but the Elgin was still a Movie House. In 1981, The Ontario Heritage Trust bought the building. It was designated a historic site of Canada in 1982, because it is Canada’s last untouched example of one of the world’s pre-eminent movie palace architects, and also because it was unique in Canada because it includes many features later found in movie palaces.
In 1987, $29 million restoration began. The walls of the Winter Garden had to be cleaned using hundreds of pounds of raw bread dough, so it wouldn’t damage the original hand-painted water colour artwork.
In December 1989, the Elgin and Winter Garden reopened, after the reopening everybody wanted to come in and see how the theatres changed and to see all of the theatres unique features, such as the Winter Garden’s tree branches and lanterns. One of the centre’s greatest treasures, got discovered during the restoration, it was the world’s largest collection of Vaudeville scenery dating back from 1913.
Interior of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre.
