Seville Theatre

Here is a January 17, 2008 blog that discusses renovation:
http://tinyurl.com/3aaxkx

They’ve begun tearing down the deserted block, where Seville’s ruins stand. Her days are numbered. My guess is that within 1-2 weeks time, we’ll be changing her status to “demolished”.

From the blog: “The demolition of the former site of the Seville theatre began officially on Tuesday, June 8, 2010. A press conference was held in downtown Montreal, on the site of the future housing project, at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Chomedey Sts. Mayor Gérald Tremblay, the president of Claridge and Jacques Vincent, co-president of Prével, have each expressed their pride in seeing this project of 450 new condos becoming reality. The ground floor will be occupied exclusively by businesses giving onto Sainte-Catherine St. Here is a preliminary rendering of Le Seville.”

March 22nd, 1929 grand opening ad in photo section.

D.J. Crighton architected the atmospheric Seville. Crighton admitted that the neighborhood house of 1,200 would be modest on the exterior for cost purposes and he’d concentrate on the interior. He would create a weathered atmospheric Old Spain look on the inside with weatherbeaten walls and weathered ornamental iron.

It was the 14th theater in the United Amusements Circuit and made such a splash that other area theaters followed in the atmospheric footprint even outside of the main downtown areas. Patrons were greeted with water splashing over rocks and — as a second-run family theatre — children were entertained by the curious live fish and caged canaries nearby. Passing into the auditorium through the majestic grand entryway revealed a Spanish villa. Here, Crighton said the Seville would focus on the villa’s setting and de-emphasize a stage or live presentation. The show was in the sidewalls and ceiling and day and passing clouds turned to nighttime and stars. The theatre was a charmer.

In the TV era, second-run houses were under pressure and the theater added live pop shows. But the Seville could have changed its name to The Sound of Music Theatre when the family-oriented theater scored a huge film hit with that title playing nealry two years. The theatre also enjoyed success as a rep house running right up to the home video era. By then, its heyday was well behind it ultimately closing and being removed from the cityscape. Here, its modest exterior didn’t help keep it as other theaters which did survive.