Back in the mid 80’s there was a teacher I knew from Elizabeth Bagshaw Elementary in the East End. He was a theatre guy who did Gilbert and Sullivan musicals with the kids in the school which later was given to the Catholic Board and became the current Bishop Ryan High School.
He had a standing deal with Theatre Aquarius to pick up their sets and scenery which were often thrown out after productions.
He had a big storage room at the school which was full of scenery. I used to borrow this stuff for my own theatre porductions. Also in this store room he had an 8 foot long chunk of the Palace’s balcony Railing, which he had fished out of the dumpster… I wonder if it surved??
What should have happened is that one of the two theatres should have been retained and subdivided internally as a multiplex. This is what happened to very similar Thomas Lamb theatres like the Loews in Montreal, the Uptown and Imperial in Toronto.
I know for sure that the two theatres (Palace and Capitol) were torn down in 1973. There are very sad pictures in HPL Special Collections taken from the Spectator building next store of the roof coming off the Capitol. Also the Palace’s entire front section was demolished. The Beauty salon is a whole new construction from 1973.
Somewhere I have a file with all of the photocopies of the clippings I did twenty years back when I first got interested in these fine lost buildings.
If this had happened then the Palace might have lasted until the late 1980’s as a cinema, likely closing at the same time as the Century and Tivoli (September 1989).Both of the theatres ended up owned by the same company who was not affiliated with Famous Players or Odeon (later Cineplex).
The advantage of this is that it could be reversed. Both the Imperial in Montreal and Toronto were restored this way. Even the Mtl Loews (which is a cool health club gym) survives as single auditorium.
Well Joe Buttinski’s the bar that most recently occupied the Capitol Theatre’s lobby has gone out of business this past few months. I remember that Grapes and Things lasted somewhat longer.
The Palace was regularly used for Stage shows.. (HTI used to do musicals there in the 50’s and 60’s)… The feeling was that the big theatres had had their day. Jackson Square cinema hadn’t opened in 1973 but the Odeon 2 right across the street was the death of the Palace.
The parking lots where both auditoriums stood must have made some money over the years
Also the Downtown, the Grenada, the Grand Theatre and the Grand Opera House were all the same theatre. This can be confirmed by photos at the Hamilton Public Library special collections on the third floor.
The Capitol and Place were built four years apart (1917 and 1921)..
Both were designed by Thomas Lamb, who designed thousands of theatres across Britain and North America. There is a section on him in John Lindsey’s book TURN OUT THE STARS BEFORE LEAVING, also in the book about the Elgin and Wintergarden. The recently demolished Uptown in Toronto was another of his theatres, as was the Capitol in Ottawa.
Lamb designed theatres for many of the vaudeville chains including BF Kieth, Alexander Pantages and Marcus Loews. He had an office in NYC and took commissions from whoever had the ability to pay him.
Sadly both the the Capitol and Palace ended up being owned by the same company that demolished them both in 1973 when Hamilton Place opened.
One last comment. I saw my first ever rock concert here in 1978. The band FM with Nash the Slash – featuring the hit song PHASORS ON STUN. I went and bought their LP BLACK NOISE as a result of this concert.
There is one photo of the Main Street marquee in the Hamilton Public Library special collections dept. circa 1978.
Interior pictures are at the Ont Gov archives.
Also this theatre was built by Fred Guest in 1924 and he considered it his flagship cinema. Even though movies were the main attraction it had a full stage.
The theatre was gutted and turned into apartments in 1984. I walked past this everyday on my way to high school at the time.
This was an elaborate and ornate theatre with a balcony and opulent dome, and gorgeous wood paneling everywhere. It sat aprox 980 seats had entrances and two separate marquees on both King and Main Streets. The box office was in the middle of a long corridor between the two sets of doors. It also had a huge crystal chandelier.
In its final years it was home to Starvin' Marvin’s Burlesque (Strippers) 1972-73, then Rep Cinema (99 Cent Delta) 1977-1980, and finally when the seats were gone as a flea market (1980-1983).
This information is incorrect. The Strand Theatre burned down in the late 1950’s. The site is now a parking lot next to the Rivera Banquet Hall and the Budget Motor Inn.
The Theatre that became a (CHCH) TV studio (the Kenmore if I recall), is on King Street West just before Locke. Currently it is the Westside Concert Theatre.
Yes I have done this with google maps myself… The part of the roof on the westside of the structure that has caved in is the last bit of the original 1912 roof… The part that was not replaced in 1954.
Ironically the most intact and important historical parts of the Century theatre are the backstage areas of the 1912 Lyric vaudeville palace which were left just as storage after the proscenium arch was bricked up in 1940… The grid, the hemp fly gallary and the original dressing rooms, and a huge paint frame used to paint scenic drops are still intact in the east end of the building…
I also have a blueprint I found in the office on the second floor showing the 1954 renovations where the Lyric’s original ceiling was removed and the current flat roof was installed… Sprachman was the architect I recall
There are still elements of the Lyric auditorium left on the side walls at the back and parts of the original pros arch plaster work are a groove between the current ceiling and the fly gallery.
It was renamed Century in 1940 when bough by 20th Century Theatres They built a smaller one level cinema within the shell of the old 2000 seat vaudeville palace…
I have only one image of the Lyric Theatre (1912-1940) interior and that is a bad photocopy from a microfilm of the Hamilton Herald Newspaper article – a Christmas concert for orphans from the 1913 taken from the stage and showing the auditorium with its large sweeping balcony.. I will see if I can dig it up again…
The Marx Brothers played the Century in a stage show in 1924 BTW…
Also backstage on the paint frame back in 1990, I found a poster saying “LYRIC THEATRE HIGHCLASS KIETH/ALBEE VAUDEVILLE”.. The back of it had been used to mix paint for backdrops…
also these
View link
View link
View link
Some nice recent pics of the inside here…
http://flickr.com/photos/air33/2201204500/
http://flickr.com/photos/air33/548090530/
http://flickr.com/photos/air33/2053866490/
http://flickr.com/photos/jcpiercy/205854261/
This theatre looks very similar to the Tivoli Theatre in Hamilton…
I wonder if it was the same architect?
Not sure if these lincs will work… There are pictures of the Palace on the Ont Achives website.
front
View link
View link
Aud
View link
View link
if this doesn’t work then goto
View link
and search using the words Palace Theatre Hamilton.
gthen
One last Palace Story for today.
Back in the mid 80’s there was a teacher I knew from Elizabeth Bagshaw Elementary in the East End. He was a theatre guy who did Gilbert and Sullivan musicals with the kids in the school which later was given to the Catholic Board and became the current Bishop Ryan High School.
He had a standing deal with Theatre Aquarius to pick up their sets and scenery which were often thrown out after productions.
He had a big storage room at the school which was full of scenery. I used to borrow this stuff for my own theatre porductions. Also in this store room he had an 8 foot long chunk of the Palace’s balcony Railing, which he had fished out of the dumpster… I wonder if it surved??
What should have happened is that one of the two theatres should have been retained and subdivided internally as a multiplex. This is what happened to very similar Thomas Lamb theatres like the Loews in Montreal, the Uptown and Imperial in Toronto.
I know for sure that the two theatres (Palace and Capitol) were torn down in 1973. There are very sad pictures in HPL Special Collections taken from the Spectator building next store of the roof coming off the Capitol. Also the Palace’s entire front section was demolished. The Beauty salon is a whole new construction from 1973.
Somewhere I have a file with all of the photocopies of the clippings I did twenty years back when I first got interested in these fine lost buildings.
If this had happened then the Palace might have lasted until the late 1980’s as a cinema, likely closing at the same time as the Century and Tivoli (September 1989).Both of the theatres ended up owned by the same company who was not affiliated with Famous Players or Odeon (later Cineplex).
The advantage of this is that it could be reversed. Both the Imperial in Montreal and Toronto were restored this way. Even the Mtl Loews (which is a cool health club gym) survives as single auditorium.
Well Joe Buttinski’s the bar that most recently occupied the Capitol Theatre’s lobby has gone out of business this past few months. I remember that Grapes and Things lasted somewhat longer.
The Palace was regularly used for Stage shows.. (HTI used to do musicals there in the 50’s and 60’s)… The feeling was that the big theatres had had their day. Jackson Square cinema hadn’t opened in 1973 but the Odeon 2 right across the street was the death of the Palace.
The parking lots where both auditoriums stood must have made some money over the years
The extraordinary history of this theatre originally known as the Belsize is told here
http://www.theatred.com/aboutus_regent.htm
I found this… Looks like it is in danger of being torn down
Also known as the york. I would like to see interior pictures.
View link
Also the Downtown, the Grenada, the Grand Theatre and the Grand Opera House were all the same theatre. This can be confirmed by photos at the Hamilton Public Library special collections on the third floor.
The Capitol and Place were built four years apart (1917 and 1921)..
Both were designed by Thomas Lamb, who designed thousands of theatres across Britain and North America. There is a section on him in John Lindsey’s book TURN OUT THE STARS BEFORE LEAVING, also in the book about the Elgin and Wintergarden. The recently demolished Uptown in Toronto was another of his theatres, as was the Capitol in Ottawa.
Lamb designed theatres for many of the vaudeville chains including BF Kieth, Alexander Pantages and Marcus Loews. He had an office in NYC and took commissions from whoever had the ability to pay him.
Sadly both the the Capitol and Palace ended up being owned by the same company that demolished them both in 1973 when Hamilton Place opened.
One last comment. I saw my first ever rock concert here in 1978. The band FM with Nash the Slash – featuring the hit song PHASORS ON STUN. I went and bought their LP BLACK NOISE as a result of this concert.
There is one photo of the Main Street marquee in the Hamilton Public Library special collections dept. circa 1978.
Interior pictures are at the Ont Gov archives.
Also this theatre was built by Fred Guest in 1924 and he considered it his flagship cinema. Even though movies were the main attraction it had a full stage.
The theatre was gutted and turned into apartments in 1984. I walked past this everyday on my way to high school at the time.
This was an elaborate and ornate theatre with a balcony and opulent dome, and gorgeous wood paneling everywhere. It sat aprox 980 seats had entrances and two separate marquees on both King and Main Streets. The box office was in the middle of a long corridor between the two sets of doors. It also had a huge crystal chandelier.
In its final years it was home to Starvin' Marvin’s Burlesque (Strippers) 1972-73, then Rep Cinema (99 Cent Delta) 1977-1980, and finally when the seats were gone as a flea market (1980-1983).
A little more info. This was also known as the Italia Cinema from 1938 to 1969 when it closed.
There are photos at the Ont Archives of the exterior/interior.
This was the 2 screen theatre I saw the original STAR WARS at least 12 times or so in the summer of 1977.
The addition of the former Canadian Tire store on the west side of the original theatre added the extra 6 small screens.
It has been completely demolished now. Not any great loss as a historical building, but still fondly remembered by me at least.
I remember attending this cinema in 1979 to see the theatrical release of the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA film. It was called the York at the time.
It was used as a sports store in the 1990’s, with the seats still in the auditorium. I remember seeing bicycles propped up in the aisles.
I have seen a few films now in the remodeled interior and have been impressed with the atmosphere.
This information is incorrect. The Strand Theatre burned down in the late 1950’s. The site is now a parking lot next to the Rivera Banquet Hall and the Budget Motor Inn.
The Theatre that became a (CHCH) TV studio (the Kenmore if I recall), is on King Street West just before Locke. Currently it is the Westside Concert Theatre.
Recent pictures of the Empire theatre are at this site..
View link
An article on the theatre is also here..
http://www.nationnews.com/story/6966471906097.php
Yes I have done this with google maps myself… The part of the roof on the westside of the structure that has caved in is the last bit of the original 1912 roof… The part that was not replaced in 1954.
Ironically the most intact and important historical parts of the Century theatre are the backstage areas of the 1912 Lyric vaudeville palace which were left just as storage after the proscenium arch was bricked up in 1940… The grid, the hemp fly gallary and the original dressing rooms, and a huge paint frame used to paint scenic drops are still intact in the east end of the building…
I also have a blueprint I found in the office on the second floor showing the 1954 renovations where the Lyric’s original ceiling was removed and the current flat roof was installed… Sprachman was the architect I recall
There are still elements of the Lyric auditorium left on the side walls at the back and parts of the original pros arch plaster work are a groove between the current ceiling and the fly gallery.
It was renamed Century in 1940 when bough by 20th Century Theatres They built a smaller one level cinema within the shell of the old 2000 seat vaudeville palace…
I have only one image of the Lyric Theatre (1912-1940) interior and that is a bad photocopy from a microfilm of the Hamilton Herald Newspaper article – a Christmas concert for orphans from the 1913 taken from the stage and showing the auditorium with its large sweeping balcony.. I will see if I can dig it up again…
The Marx Brothers played the Century in a stage show in 1924 BTW…
Also backstage on the paint frame back in 1990, I found a poster saying “LYRIC THEATRE HIGHCLASS KIETH/ALBEE VAUDEVILLE”.. The back of it had been used to mix paint for backdrops…