Loew's Theatre

Montreal CTV News aired a segment tonight, on February 14, 2022, showing the Loew’s theater in its final stages of demolition. All that remains are some exterior brick walls, soon disappear, with demolition cranes sitting in what used to be its auditorium. Here’s the article and video:

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/historic-loews-theatre-demolished-as-part-of-condo-development-1.5779957

Quite a stomach turning sight, the beautiful century old interior architecture was fully intact and should have been preserved! I am not yet over the loss of the Snowdon and Empress theaters in Montreal, also demolished to make way for condos, and now this. I still remember seeing iconic films in the balcony area (after it was sub-divided) in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Seeing architecture treasures liked The Loew’s destroyed is beyond sad.

Demolition has started. Photo uploaded.

Annonce d'inauguration en français publiée.

Bought by Bravia, a condo developer. Loews bought up by Brivia. Fri, Sep 6, 2019 – A7 · The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) · Newspapers.com

PRESERVATION ALERT: To be torn down for condos ?

The gym in the auditorium section of the old Loew’s will close in September. https://www.narcity.com/nouvelles/ca/qc/montreal/le-club-athletique-mansfield-a-montreal-ferme-ses-portes-a-la-fin-du-mois-daout

La propriété du Mansfield à Montréal située au coin des rues Mansfield et Sainte-Catherine Ouest a été vendue le 31 juillet dernier à des promoteurs immobiliers.

Effectivement, il semblerait qu'après des années à refuser de vendre, le propriétaire a finalement cédé alors que le gym aurait perdu 1 000 membres depuis leurs meilleures années. Cette diminution de clientèle serait due à l'évolution rapide de l'industrie du fitness et le Mansfield n'aurait pas suivi la tendance.

https://www.gascon.ca/en/2019/08/06/sale-of-the-building-housing-the-mansfield-athletic-club/

Our firm is proud to announce that its real estate team, led by Me Nicolas Beaulieu and Me Émilie Therrien, had the privilege to assist and advise the owner of 1230 Mansfield Street, a landmark building housing the Mansfield Athletic Club in the heart of Downtown Montreal, in the negotiation of the offer to purchase and the sale of this property for more than $20 million to Brivia Group, which intends to redevelop the building.

I am very interested reading a post by dkidger from June 5 , 2012. He states that his father was manager at this Loews in Montreal in the 1960’s. Interestingly , my uncle John Peter Reidy was also a manager at that Loews late 50’s until the night he died at his desk in the theatre on September 9 , 1962. My sister was the last person in the family to see him alive. He would always tell us to come on down to Loews and ask for him at the entrance. He was also a member of the Canadian Motion Pictures Pioneers Association , having spent several years in Los Angeles working as an actor for Universal during the Silent era. If anyone can add to this I would be grateful as I am trying to find out as much as I can about his days in Los Angeles.

Thanks rivest266, currently in Street View the entrance looks it got turned into a LOLE Clothing store after Foot Locker moved out last year.

Does anybody have any photo’s of this theatre in it’s current condition? I hope a lot of Lamb’s details survived in the transitions from the Famous Players Five-plex to Club Med World to it’s current use as retail & gym.

With the help of Jay Schmitt, I was recently able to identify this photograph taken by George Mann as Loew’s Theatre in Montreal as it appeared in 1931.

Fire insurance plan of the theatre at http://services.banq.qc.ca/sdx/cep/document.xsp?app=ca.BAnQ.sdx.cep&db=notice&id=0000174385&n=89&col=pai&order=ascendant&f=region_nav&v=montreal%23%23%23Montr%C3%A9al&sortfield=date_publication&&p=5&chpp=20&dbrqp=query_notice&qid=sdx_q0&eview=CARTES_PLANS/174385/174385_59.tif

The theatre was heated from a building at the site of 4 PVM. The heat went underneath Mansfield to the Sun Life Bdg and than to the Loew’s.

I worked there in 1978 as an usher, I think we were at least 20 ushers at that time, we had so much fun there, used to go sit behind the big screen in Cinema1. On Saturday nights all ushers were working at the same time, each of us were making animal noises in the main lobby, it sounded like a real jungle. I remember lots of cool people from that time, unfortunately they are all only in memory.

I posted a postcard picture along with the grand opening ads from 1917 and 1976.

Thanks Mike for the information.

Thanks Mike Rivest,what is bill 101?