Seneca Queen Theatre
4624 Queen Street,
Niagara Falls,
ON
L2E 2L7
4624 Queen Street,
Niagara Falls,
ON
L2E 2L7
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 17 comments
This theatre is currently open. Correct address is 4624 Queen St.
http://senecaqueen.ca/
The most recent tenant, the Lyndesfame Theatre Projects, has moved out of this theatre.
In 1952 when Famous Players Canadian Corporation had it’s annual convention in Niagara Falls and screenings of course at the Seneca, the famed movie producer Mr. Cecil B DeMille was in attendance of course Mr. DeMille was a Paramount Pictures stalwart and Famous Players being 100% owned by Paramount. By this time Mr. DeMille required a rocking chair to sit in and this was provided for him!!
Yo, Dave. The Tivoli in Hamilton had a great neon maple leaf logo. It was removed in the early l980’s and replaced with an “EVE” sign, when the Tivoli started showing “adult” films. There is also a leaf shaped sign on the Lincoln in St. Catharines, but this is probably a later back-lit style. On the two link photos of the Seneca, there is a sign on the lower front of the box office stating “A Famous Players Theatre” and the FP/leaf logo.
This was a purpose built Famous Players Theatre. On all of their old theatres there would have been a maple leaf in green neon and somewhere the words “A Famous Players Theatre”! I see neither in the photographs. The old-time manager of this theatre was a gentleman named Jack Ward.
The theatre location on the google street map is wrong. It locates the theatre at Queen and St. Clair Streets. The correct location is at Queen and St. Lawrence Streets. The Seneca can be seen on the google satellite shot: it is the second building from the corner of Lawrence St., with the white roof. The front and the rear of the building can be seen on the google street view. The address is 4624 Queen Street. The box office phone number is 905-356-2300 (web site info).
The theatre is now officially named the Seneca Queen Theatre. It is the home of the Lyndesfarne Theatre Company. It has been presenting live theatre since mid-2012, and has a current season of productions scheduled to early 2013. Do a google search for the Lydesfarne and see matches for newspaper articles and their web site.
The Seneca Theatre has been used a nightclub, for many years.
The Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada lists the Seneca Theatre in Niagara Falls as a 1940 project designed by architect Jay English.
This theatre reopened as the Seneca Queen Theatre with live productions in 2009, but closed down again in 2010.
Thank you ken mc for the pictures!!
Here is a 1965 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/7jv9fv
Here is a 1964 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/6x9vca
There was a Seneca Theatre located on Queen St. in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. I watched many a movie there in my youth. There were two features I recall most: the walls were decorated with oversized native american-styled masks that cast eery shadows in the light of the screen, and the balcony. I am sad it is closed, but glad to see that it hasn’t been demolished. Unfortunately it is located in the old downtown district of the city and unless they have made some effort to re-energize that area, it is likely to go the way of many wonderful buildings.
There was also a Seneca Mall Cinema (General Cinema) in West Seneca NY, suburban Buffalo – that may be what ‘DJD-Nyed’ is thinking of.
The Film Daily Yearbook;1941 edition lists the Seneca Theatre, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada without a seaing capacity (usually meaning it has just opened and details are not known when going to print). The 1943 edition of F.D.Y. lists the Seneca Theatre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada with a seating capacity of 911.
There is no Seneca Theatre listed in the Niagara Falls, NY, USA section in any edition of F.D.Y.
Seneca is the name of a location just over the border in Niagara Falls, New York. Are you sure this is not mis-labeled for country?