College Theatre

CSWalczak on June 13, 2008 at 8:57 pm

Three pictures of the College theatre as it was in 1947:

Exterior:
http://ao.minisisinc.com/Webimages/I0012589.jpg
Auditorium:
http://ao.minisisinc.com/Webimages/I0012588.jpg
Lobby area/Concessions:
http://ao.minisisinc.com/Webimages/I0012587.jpg

CSWalczak on April 11, 2009 at 8:04 pm

The 1982 picture is most likely of different College Theater.

gordonmcleod on May 11, 2013 at 8:25 pm

Kay Stokes first job when she moved to toronto was as organist here regretably we dont know the make of the organ probably a Warren/woodstock or a legge

Joe Vogel on June 7, 2018 at 10:02 pm

Here is a peculiar item from the “Canadian Notes” column of the April 21, 1917 issue of The Moving Picture Weekly:

“The Garrick Theatre, College and Bovercourt [sic] Road, is Toronto’s newest house, or rather one should say one of Toronto’s oldest houses made new. As a matter of fact the Garrick has been nameless ever since its construction, it being built but never operated. However, one of the local theatre syndicates has secured it and is remodelling and equipping the house to open very shortly. There is no doubt that it will present a most attractive appearance”

The May 4, 1918, issue of The Moving Picture World also mentions the Garrick in Toronto:

“The Garrick, Toronto, has been secured by A. L. Hall of Montreal.”

The same journal mentions the Garrick again in its issue of June 8, 1918:

“The Garrick theater, College and Dovercourt road, Toronto, has again changed hands. The new owner is W. C. Wright, a veteran theater man. Mr. Wright has not been engaged in any theatrical enterprise for the past twelve years.”

I’ve found no later mentions of the Garrick, but the College Theatre is mentioned in this item from The Moving Picture World of September 6, 1919:

“The Aliens are getting ready to open new theatres in half a dozen different Canadian cities. Four new houses are nearly completed in Toronto alone, these being the St. Clair Theatre in the North End, Parkdale Theatre in the West, Beach Theatre in the East and College Theatre, near Dovercourt and College streets.”

Given the location of the Garrick and the College, and the fact that there seems to have been no overlap in their operation, the question that naturally arises is was the College a rebuild of the Garrick? While the interior of the College does look like something C. Howard Crane would have designed, the exterior bears a resemblance, and that only passing, only to his United Artists Theatre in Chicago. Perhaps he had to work with an existing building and lavished the Allens' limited money on the interior?

I’ve been unable to find any construction journal items about either the Garrick or the College, so there is no clue to their comparative sizes, nor have I found any photos of the Garrick. Still, it’s an interesting possibility that they were the same house.