Imperial Theatre
176 Christina Street N.,
Sarnia,
ON
N7T 5T9
176 Christina Street N.,
Sarnia,
ON
N7T 5T9
No one has favorited this theater yet
Built in 1919, the original Imperial Theatre in Sarnia operated until 1953, when a tornado devastated downtown Sarnia and leveled the theatre’s stage. While the rest of the theatre only suffered minor damage, the damage was too severe to allow the building to remain as a theatre so the building was converted to office and retail space. The ‘Imperial’ theatre name returned to downtown Sarnia when the Capitol Theatre was renamed the Imperial Oil Centre for the Performing Arts.
Contributed by
Gary Flinn
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
A photo of the tornade damage to the rear of the Imperial Theatre in 1953 can be found at http://www.flickriver.com/photos/34370769@N07/4914004651/#large
Looking at the back facade, it looks as if the damage to the theatre itself was so severe that the theatre portion of the building was torn down, except for the lower parts of the outer side walls, as the two story front portion was extended outwards.
An early photo of the original Imperial Theatre in Sarnia can be found at http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2481/3996298835_a8f8b15dfd.jpg
A 1920 ad for United Theatres said that they operated the Princess, Crescent, and Imperial Theatres at Sarnia. As the Princess and Crescent were listed in a 1917 city directory, the Imperial must have been this project noted in the June 21, 1919, issue of The Moving Picture World:
Windsor, Ontario, architect Albert H. McPhail also designed the Vanity Theatre in that city.