Grand Theatre
47 Ontario Street,
St. Catharines,
ON
L2R 5J3
47 Ontario Street,
St. Catharines,
ON
L2R 5J3
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Allen's Theaters Ltd.
Previous Names: Academy of Music, Grand Opera House
Nearby Theaters
No theaters found within 30 miles
Opened in September 1877 as the Academy of Music. It was soon re-named Grand Opera House, although opera was never part of the programming. It presented choral concerts, plays, minstrel shows and lectures. Seating was provided in orchestra level, which was surrounded on three sides by a separate tiered section, above which was a horse-shoe shaped balcony. The auditorium was at the rear of the building and was reached via a long corridor. It was damaged by a fire in 1895, and repairs were carried out. It was screening films as part of the program in 1896 & 1897. Occasional full-length films were screened in later years.
It was also known as the Grand Theatre, operated by the Allen’s Theaters Ltd. chain. A more severe fire closed the building in April 1926. The stage area was converted into a bowling alley named Dorado Lanes. The remainder of the auditorium was stripped out and remained unused. The bowling alley suffered another fire in the winter of 1992. The theatre part of the building was demolished in 1993 and became a parking lot. The old stage house/bowl was demolished in 1998. The site is now a vacant lot, used for car parking.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The Grand Opera House in St. Catherines in listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. T.D. Lalor was Mgr; there were 1,196 seats, tickets 25 cents to 75 cents. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 26 feet high; the stage was 31 feet deep. There was gas illumination; the house was on the ground floor and there were 7 in the house orchestra. There were 3 daily newspapers, and 3 hotels for show folk. The 1897 population was 20,000.
I have a December, 1912 program from this theater. It was a vaudeville house, but showing short films as part of the program. According to the program, the Grand will expand “next season” to a seating capacity of 1600 or more, more comfortable chairs, new Ladies' Retiring Parlor, Gentlemen’s Smoking Room, a new balcony and steam heat.