Empress Theatre

Fort Macleod, Alberta

235 Main Street

, Fort Macleod, Alberta T0L 0Z0 Canada

(map)

403.553.4404

Status:	Open
Screens:	Single Screen
Style:	Unknown

Function:	Concerts, Movies
Seats:	372
Chain:	Independent

Architect:	Daniel Boyle
Firm:	Unknown

Built in 1910, for the Famous Players chain, the Empress Theatre was originally built as an opera house, and later served as a vaudeville theater, a legitimate theater and finally a movie theater.

Outside the brick walls of the dressing rooms, a tradition developed in the 1920's for perfomers to leave their names written on the wall, which continues to the present day.

In 1937, the theater received a total facelift, which meant the addition of a 100-seat balcony, new restrooms, a concession stand, and, unusually, neon tulips decorating the auditorium ceiling, which the architect, Daniel Boyle, added at his wife's suggestion.

Since the late-1940's, the Empress Theatre has mostly been used for movies. By the late-1970s, however, Fort Macleod's sole remaining movie house was in serious danger of being closed, and in 1982 the Fort Macleod Provincial Area History Society acquired the theater. It made close to $1 million in repairs and renovations to the Empress Theatre, and today this unique theater still shows first-run films, as well as hosting concerts.

Related Websites

Historic Empress Theatre (Official)

Contributed by Bryan Krefft

YOUR COMMENTS

I attended several movies there in the winter of 66-67.The balconey was a little odd,and since reading here that it was a tack-on,that's not surprising.My main impression was OLD,now I know why.It was the only operating theater for many miles around.Lethbridge had a really fine,large theater at the time.There was a bldg in town that appeared to have once been a theater for the once wild and wooly Ft.Macleod audience.

posted by ghamilton on Dec 4, 2005 at 2:01pm

Here is a 1924 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/e5o8s

posted by ken mc on Sep 29, 2006 at 4:55pm

Here is a recent photo of the Empress Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Nov 7, 2006 at 2:41pm

House Capacity
Total 372 Seats

Plus room for up to 6 wheelchairs
Main House 267 Seats
Left: 72, Centre: 119, Right: 76
Wheelchair Accessible
Balcony 105 Seats
Left: 56 Right: 49
Not Wheelchair Accessible

posted by Lost Memory on Nov 7, 2006 at 2:56pm

This is a more recent photo of the Empress Theater.

posted by Lost Memory on Nov 5, 2007 at 6:59am

1984 Photo

1986 Photo

1986 Photo

posted by Lost Memory on Jun 8, 2009 at 7:36am

Here is a 2009 photo.

posted by Lost Memory on Aug 7, 2009 at 9:29am

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