- Empress Theatre (Montreal)
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The Empress Theatre 
Empress Theatre on Sherbrooke Street West in N.D.G.Alternative names Cinema V General information Type Movie theatre Architectural style Egyptian Revival architecture Location Montreal, Quebec Address 5560 Sherbrooke Street West Coordinates 45°28′18″N 73°36′46″W / 45.4718°N 73.6129°WCoordinates: 45°28′18″N 73°36′46″W / 45.4718°N 73.6129°W Current tenants Geordie Productions, Black Theatre Workshop, and The McGill Conservatory of Music Inaugurated 1927 Design and construction Owner City of Montreal Architect Joseph-Alcide Chaussé Other designers Emmanuel Briffa The Empress Theatre, also known as the Cinema V (Cinema Five), is a vacant building located on Sherbrooke Street in the neighbourhood of N.D.G. in Montreal. Damaged and gutted by a fire, the Egyptian-style theatre has been abandoned and deteriorating since 1992.
Contents
History
Constructed in 1927 and designed by Joseph-Alcide Chaussé, with interiors by Emmanuel Briffa,[1] it was the only theatre in Canada designed in the Egyptian style, and was inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922.[2] The building first served as a Vaudeville theatre for burlesque and first-run films.[3] In 1962, it was home to a dinner theatre called the Royal Follies.[4] In 1968, it became the Hermes/Cinema V, an art-movie house, then a repertory cinema from the 1970s to 1992. It has been closed and in a state of disrepair since a fire damaged the theatre in 1992.
Cinema V
Cinema V in 1982.
In 1968, the theatre was divided to become the two-tiered Cinema V. In 1974, it briefly changed its name to The Home of Blue Movies. It became a repertory cinema in 1975, gaining notability as the Montreal home of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was taken over by the Famous Players chain in 1988. A fire in 1992 caused the theatre to close.
Restoration
Geordie Productions [1], Black Theatre Workshop, McGill Music Conservatory and the City of Montreal were at one point collaborating to restore the building. It was estimated that the project will cost $11.8 million dollars.[5][6]
The completed theatre was to be used for performance and visual arts.[3] The final plans include a café/art gallery and a 246-person concert hall.[7]
The restored theatre was to be home to two resident professional theatre companies: Geordie Productions and Black Theatre Workshop. The McGill Conservatory had plans to use the theatre for its music education program.[3] In August 2010, it was announced provincial government funding has been pulled, and ownership of the building returned to the city of Montreal.[2] This has put the restoration project in limbo and caused concern over the preservation of the building. In 2010, concerned residents of NDG formed an ad hoc citizen's group called Renaissance Empress focused on preserving the theatre and transforming it into a cultural centre. Key members of this group later became a new board of directors for the Empress Cultural Centre and were responsible for the site.[8] On August 15, 2011 the city of Montreal seized ownership and control of the building, citing the citizens’ group failed to make any progress in 12 years. It also canceled the centre’s 50 year lease.[9] The city denied rumor that it plans to sell the site for a condominium project, however at the same time also has no plans for the building.
References
- ^ "Cinema V". Montreal Images. http://www.imtl.org/montreal/building/Cinema-sherbrooke.php. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ LEMIRE, ROBERT. "Chaussé, Joseph-Alcide". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001546. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ a b c CA (2009-03-17). "Empress Cultural Centre waiting for funding so construction can begin - Cultural activities - Arts - The Chronicle". Themonitor.ca. http://www.themonitor.ca/article-314780-Empress-Cultural-Centre-waiting-for-funding-so-construction-can-begin.html. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ O'Hanley, Stephanie (March 3, 2005). "Cinema V gets new lease on life". Hour magazine (Montreal: Communications Voir inc.). http://www.hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=5493. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ "CTV Montreal - Hopes for Empress spotlight to shine again - CTV News". Montreal.ctv.ca. 2009-11-22. http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091122/mtl_empress_091122?hub=MontrealHome. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ O'Hanley, Stephanie (February 14, 2008). "Cinema V building to become new cultural centre". Hour magazine (Montreal: Communications Voir inc.). http://www.hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=14003. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
- ^ Heffez, Alanah (2008-09-09). "Photo du Jour – Empress Theatre " Spacing Montreal". Spacingmontreal.ca. http://spacingmontreal.ca/2008/09/09/photo-du-jour-empress-theatre/. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
- ^ http://empresscentre.com/webE/?page_id=70
- ^ http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/City+takes+back+Empress+Theatre/5258054/story.html
External links
Categories:- Egyptian-style theaters
- Buildings and structures completed in 1927
- Theatres in Montreal
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