Town Cinemas
280 St. Paul Street,
St. Catharines,
ON
L2R 3M9
280 St. Paul Street,
St. Catharines,
ON
L2R 3M9
1 person
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Closed in 1992 by Cineplex Odeon and new management reopened on February 12th, 1993 as a discount cinema. Grand opening ad posted.
The grand opening ad posted by rivest266 reveals that the plans for the 1973 remodeling of the Palace Theatre into the Town Cinemas were drawn by architect Grant R(ussell) Sauder.
Fire damage on August 4th early in the morning
It opened again on the 15th..
Odeon pulled out in 1962 and taken over by Canadian Theatres in 1965. It closed on May 6th, 1973 for rebuilding into the Town Cinemas 1 & 2, which reopened on August 3rd, 1973.
More to come…
According to this web page from the St. Catharine’s Museum, the Griffin Theatre opened on May 6, 1915, with the first Canadian showing of Charlie Chaplin’s “The Tramp.” The appellation Opera House for this theater appears to be a modern invention. Early ads from the WWI era call it Griffin’s Theatre or the Griffin Theatre, and it operated as a combination vaudeville and movie theater from the beginning.
This was the second theater opened at St. Catharines by the Griffin Amusement Company. The first, Griffin’s Family Theatre, was a nickelodeon opened in 1908, and was John Griffin’s first venture outside Toronto. Both it and the new Griffin Theatre begun in 1913 and opened in 1915 were designed by local architect Thomas Husted Wiley. The Griffin Amusement Company (not related to the later chain of the same name in Texas) at its peak operated at least 34 theaters.
Opened on October 9th, 1941. Grand opening ad posted. More to come…
Closed as a movie theatre in 2004, but was used for live music for a number of years afterwards.
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2008/02/21/downtown-theatre-put-emotions-into-motion
This was built in 1913 as the Griffin Opera House. As seen on the marquee, the lat incarnation was spelled Town Cinemas (not Towne Cinema).
http://miscdisorders.blogspot.com/2012/07/birth-of-town-cinemas.html
There has been talk, for years about restoring this theatre. I think this was the Opera House, way before the Palace and 1945 date. Take the google view, and see the awsome rear view of the building/auditorium (Carlise/look left and Head Street).