Constructed in 1919 on a wave of motion picture palace construction across North America, the Metropolitan Theatre officially opened in 1920 as the Allen Theatre. The theatre was constructed as part of a large chain of Allen movie houses, owned and operated by brothers Jay J. and Jules Allen, and backed by their father, Bernard Allen. When this theatre opened, the Allen chain was the biggest and most dominant.
With the new technology of motion pictures, the Allen family decided to capitalize on the momentum, opening first a film exchange, the Allen Amusement Corporation in1908 and their first luxury theatre in Calgary in 1913. The Allen chain leaped across the country, constructing large and costly movie palaces, splitting markets and loyalties and building excitement and attendance.
All of the Allen Theatres had the same architect and therefore a similar architectural style in common. C. Howard Crane belonged to the firm of Elmer George Kichler and Associates and adapted the neo-classical theatre motifs establishhed by Charles Lamb.
Between 1912 and 1922, the Adams style was born and employed exclusively by Lamb and Crane. Interior spaces contained the key Adamasque techniques- classical plaster detailing, muted and complimentary colors, a sense of spaciousness and special attention to ceiling details. The facades of the buildings were symmetrical, repeating low-relief classical ornamentation and figuring prominently the Palladian-type windows of Adams design. Crane’s Allen Theatre is characteristic of this national genre.
Thousands of Winnipegers caught the excitement of the theatre at the formal opening of the new Allen Theatre on 2 January 1920. The mayor was present and declared the new theatre to be ‘the largest and finest in the country’. The theatre was a runaway success.
Unfortunately, the Allens fell prey to their well-financed competitors. In 1923, Famous Players acquired the Allens Theatre Corporation for a fraction of its value, leaving Famous Players in a near-monopoly situation. This theatre was renamed the Metropolitan in 1923.
With the innovation of ‘talking’ pictures in 1928, the Metropolitan was upgraded with speakers and large projectors. The theatre experienced major alteration of the ground floor by architects Green, Blankstein and Russell. Over the years, the theatre ran first-run films to large audiences. The most devastating thing in the Metropolitan’s history was the introduction of television in 1954. The Metropolitan Theatre was a grand old movie theatre.
http://www.mts.net/~heritag2/theatrebuildings.htm
1919B. C. Howard Crane
Constructed in 1919 on a wave of motion picture palace construction across North America, the Metropolitan Theatre officially opened in 1920 as the Allen Theatre. The theatre was constructed as part of a large chain of Allen movie houses, owned and operated by brothers Jay J. and Jules Allen, and backed by their father, Bernard Allen. When this theatre opened, the Allen chain was the biggest and most dominant.
With the new technology of motion pictures, the Allen family decided to capitalize on the momentum, opening first a film exchange, the Allen Amusement Corporation in1908 and their first luxury theatre in Calgary in 1913. The Allen chain leaped across the country, constructing large and costly movie palaces, splitting markets and loyalties and building excitement and attendance.
All of the Allen Theatres had the same architect and therefore a similar architectural style in common. C. Howard Crane belonged to the firm of Elmer George Kichler and Associates and adapted the neo-classical theatre motifs establishhed by Charles Lamb.
Between 1912 and 1922, the Adams style was born and employed exclusively by Lamb and Crane. Interior spaces contained the key Adamasque techniques- classical plaster detailing, muted and complimentary colors, a sense of spaciousness and special attention to ceiling details. The facades of the buildings were symmetrical, repeating low-relief classical ornamentation and figuring prominently the Palladian-type windows of Adams design. Crane’s Allen Theatre is characteristic of this national genre.
Thousands of Winnipegers caught the excitement of the theatre at the formal opening of the new Allen Theatre on 2 January 1920. The mayor was present and declared the new theatre to be ‘the largest and finest in the country’. The theatre was a runaway success.
Unfortunately, the Allens fell prey to their well-financed competitors. In 1923, Famous Players acquired the Allens Theatre Corporation for a fraction of its value, leaving Famous Players in a near-monopoly situation. This theatre was renamed the Metropolitan in 1923.
With the innovation of ‘talking’ pictures in 1928, the Metropolitan was upgraded with speakers and large projectors. The theatre experienced major alteration of the ground floor by architects Green, Blankstein and Russell. Over the years, the theatre ran first-run films to large audiences. The most devastating thing in the Metropolitan’s history was the introduction of television in 1954. The Metropolitan Theatre was a grand old movie theatre.