Towne Cinema
5 Beechwood Avenue,
Ottawa,
ON
K1L
5 Beechwood Avenue,
Ottawa,
ON
K1L
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: 20th Century Theaters
Architects: Harold Solomon Kaplan, Abraham Sprachman
Firms: Kaplan & Sprachman
Functions: Pharmacy
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Linden Theatre, New Edinburgh Cinema
Nearby Theaters
The Linden Theatre was opened on August 25, 1947 with Bing Crosby in “The Bells of St. Mary’s”. All seating was on a single level.
Taken over by the 20th Century Theatres chain, it was refurbished and reopened on July 12, 1968 as the Towne Cinema, initially a first run house. After five years, it was taken over by independent management and became a popular repertory house. It was renamed New Edinburgh Cinema from May 1989 until it closed in August 1989. The repertory house moved to the site of the Nelson Theatre on Rideau street and renamed the Bytowne Cinema, which is still there.
A pharmacy now occupies the original movie theatre space.
Contributed by
pj
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
I used to pay 25 cents to see five movies at the Linden. The crowd was always very rowdy. Often, in the winter, drunks from the El Ropo Tavern (at Beechwood and Charlevois — where the Shell Service Station stands today) would pay their 25 cents to enter the Linden and stay warm. Once, during a Three Stooges marathon, I asked the girls sitting on the row in front of us to shut up so that I could hear the movie, and one of them turned around and punched me in the face, knocking out one of my front teeth. Such fond memories!
Seems like the Theatre never change playing movie such as “SUDDENLY A WOMAN”.It play “ROSEMARY’S BABY” first run.Maybe the Crowd for “MARY” was a moviegoing crowd and not a fighting one,touraine32.
Great exterior photo added, courtesy of the Lost Ottawa Facebook page, via the City of Ottawa Archives, CA037292.
This opened as Linden on August 25th, 1947. Grand opening ad below
This opened as Linden on August 25th, 1947 and reopened as Towne on July 12th, 1968 as it was taken over by 20th Century Theatres. In 1973 sold to Germain Cadieux and tried to switch to French movies, but the Montréal suppliers refused to book them and switched into a repertory policy. Renamed New Edinburgh in May 1989 and closed August in the same year.
Annonce d'inauguration du 12 juillet 1968 en français publiée dans la section photo.
Guardian New Edinburgh Pharmacy is the current tenant, and it appears from the odd shape of the facade compared to the 1956 photo that it is indeed the same building but refaced.