Paradise Theatre
919 Granville Street,
Vancouver,
BC
V6Z 1L3
919 Granville Street,
Vancouver,
BC
V6Z 1L3
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Additional Info
Architects: Henry Holdsby Simmonds
Functions: Nightclub
Previous Names: Studio Theatre, Eve Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Towne Cinema
Nearby Theaters
Originally opened as the Studio Theatre on March 30, 1949 with Michael Denison in “My Brother Jonathan”. In 1972 it was renamed Eve Theatre. It was renamed Lyric Theatre in 1978. Later going back to its Studio Theatre name, followed on May 8, 1981 when it became the Towne Cinema. I then became Vancouver’s 2nd Paradise Theatre in March 1989. Operating as a second-run movie theatre, it was closed in around February 2000.
It was converted into a nightclub named ‘Tonic’, by 2013 it had become a bar named Joe’s Apartment. In 2015 it was operating as a nightclub named ‘Studio’.
Contributed by
Ken Moffatt
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Recent comments (view all 21 comments)
Opened as Studio on March 29th, 1949. Grand opening ad posted.
Grand opening article:
Studio Theatre opening Tue, Mar 29, 1949 – 7 · The Vancouver Sun (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) · Newspapers.com
Reopened as Lyric on August 31st, 1984. Another ad posted.
When I moved to Vancouver in 1975, 919 Granville was the location of the Eve, a porn theatre. There was another porn house, the Golden Kitten, farther up Granville and a third, the Venus, on Main near Prior. I didn’t go to the Eve or Venus but visited the Golden Kitten once and the stench (urine, feces, vomit, semen) was overpowering. Last I heard, the Venus was a crackhouse before being demolished. No great loss.
Late `50s photo added courtesy Old Canada Series Facebook page.
Circa 1972 photo as Eve Theatre added courtesy David Banks.
1981 protest of “Caligula” at Towne Cinema.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drSY72BSaQM&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1MjsoNDHrchK6JvBxD16AAJf5aym7kiAOSfVdkKpF4Tu_MWeU02W0aAGQ
This reopened as Towne on May 8th, 1981. Grand opening ad posted.
Heres the timeline for this cinema. March 30th, 1949 opened as Studio by 20th Century Theatres
1969 sold to Famous Players 446 seats
September 7th, 1972 reopened as Eve by Famous Players Eve Pool. Adult movies are shown
1978 renamed Lyric
May 18th, 1981 renamed Towne by Landmark Cinemas
August 31st, 1984 renamed Studio
April 14th, 1989 renamed Paradise
1993 taken over by Caprice Theatres
1999 closed
Famous Players Eve pool members: Eve in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montréal and Halifax, Eden in Toronto, Eros in Montréal.