Tivoli Theatre
110 James Street North,
Hamilton,
ON
L8R
110 James Street North,
Hamilton,
ON
L8R
5 people
favorited this theater
The Tivoli Theatre was the home of vaudeville shows from 1925 to 1949. In 1950, the Tivoli Theatre started showing movies and operated by Famous Players Corp. it was remodeled in 1954. It remained a popular movie house until it closed in 1990.
In 1995, the Tivoli Theatre returned to its roots as a venue for live stage shows. Closed in 2004 after a portion of the frontage collapsed, the lobby area was demolished, but the auditorium remains.
Contributed by
Chad Irish
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Recent comments (view all 46 comments)
1982 photo fo the Tivili Theatre.
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1982 Night time photo of the Tivoli Theatre.
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Here is another 1982 photo.
Here are updated links to what the theatre looked like in 1947 as originally posted by Chad I on October 19, 2004:
http://ao.minisisinc.com/Webimages/I0011965.jpg
http://ao.minisisinc.com/Webimages/I0011966.jpg
http://ao.minisisinc.com/Webimages/I0011967.jpg
http://ao.minisisinc.com/Webimages/I0011968.jpg
Very sad pictues of Tivoli—>
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wmacphail/3145009526/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrispics/9422290/
Status should be Closed/Demolished.
The Tivoli Theatre is closed, but only the lobby is demolished. And there is finally movement at last to save what is left of it.
From yesterday’s HAMILTON SPECTATOR.
$15m restoration campaign
August 28, 2009
Standing on the stage of the Tivoli Theatre, Belma Gurdil-Diamante closes her eyes to imagine the room filled with visitors from the past.
In one dust-covered seat, she sees the mother of her hairdresser, who came to the theatre to socialize with other Italian immigrants.
A few rows back, she envisions her husband sharing his first kiss.
“There’s so many people that are attached to this place,” says Gurdil-Diamante, rubbing goosebumps on her arms as she looks around the decayed but still opulent auditorium. “I want to bring those people back.”
In a few weeks, the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble will launch a $15-million capital campaign to restore the historic theatre, which has sat empty since its partial collapse five years ago.
Gurdil-Diamante, the group’s CEO, is waiting until the launch to reveal how much money has been committed to date, but says she’s confident the project will go ahead.
In the past few weeks, crews have been inside the James Street North theatre, removing mould and asbestos and installing a new electrical panel. The stabilization work, which cost $300,000, is to be funded one-quarter by the city.
Next week a parkette will be built in front of the theatre where part of the building was demolished after the initial collapse.
Once the park is complete, boarding along the street will be removed to allow passersby to see the property.
Wally Lanosky of Copper Cliff Metals and Wrecking Corp., which is doing the demolition work and donating the parkette, suspects the unveiling will be a reminder that the theatre is still standing.
“Everyone thinks the Tivoli is gone,” he said.
Originally built as a carriage factory in the 1870s, the Tivoli was converted to a theatre in 1924.
The ballet company bought the theatre for $1 in 2006 from the Sniderman family of Sam the Record Man fame. Since then, engineers and architects have combed the building, judging its condition and making plans for the future.
Though damaged by time and the elements, the theatre is structurally solid, said Gurdil-Diamante.
As capital donations come in, the ballet company plans to start construction, hopefully in January. Pace Credit Union has agreed to match donations with financing.
The city helped the ballet ensemble prepare an application for federal infrastructure funding, said Ron Marini, the city’s director of downtown and community renewal. He believes the theatre project will be a perfect addition to the arts revival on James North.
“Instead of buildings falling down, we’re starting to see them being reused,” said Marini.
Mayor Fred Eisenberger also sees potential in the project, both for downtown renewal and the arts community. But he notes it won’t be easy raising the needed capital.
“It will be a challenge … (but) certainly not an insurmountable one,” he said. “I think it’s got opportunity written on it.”
In addition to restoring the heritage elements, the ballet company plans to build a new lobby and a backstage in the basement.
The pace of fundraising and the architect’s plan will decide the timeline, but Gurdil-Diamante hopes to be done in two years. Once complete, the theatre would be a multi-use performing venue used by a range of arts groups, she said.
“We want to make sure this place belongs to the community.”
There are also some excellent images of its current condition here
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/video2/Tivoli/
A photo of the entrance lobby of the Tivoli made the cover of Boxoffice, October 2, 1954.
The October 23, 1954, issue of Boxoffice featured a multi-page article about the remodeling of the Tivoli, beginning on this page. The entrance lobby was given a fairly sleek streamline modern style, but the other spaces retained much of the more traditional decor from the 1920s. Much of the Italian Renaissance detailing was stripped from the auditorium, but its basic outlines remained intact.
My impression from the photos is that the foyer and auditorium looked a bit cheesy after the remodeling, and the house would have been better served by a more thoughtful restoration of the original design, except for that spiffy moderne entrance lobby, which was quite an improvement. It’s too bad the entrance was in the part of the building that has been demolished.