1917 – Loew’s Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The iconic cinema, located on Ste-Catherine Street, opened its doors in 1917 and was the largest Canadian theatre until the 1960s. According to architectural press at the time, “The policy is to build a considerable distance back from the street from which the theatre is entered, with an entrance lobby or passage extending through to the auditorium”. This approach is further mentioned in an article on the Hamilton ON theatre “Like the play-houses on this circuit at both Toronto and Montreal, the exterior is of secondary importance to the interior architectural scheme, and merely serves as a street entrance running through to a rear auditorium.”

“The auditorium proper is rich in its decorative character, showing a clear handling of the Adam style of architecture, and giving to the whole an atmosphere of dignity and refinement; the ornament of the ceiling being so arranged and designed in conjunction with the system of indirect lighting as to unite in producing both an aesthetic and practical result. Accommodation is provided in the orchestra for sixteen hundred people, and approximately fifteen hundred more can be taken care of in the balcony above.”
Construction, February 1918

Loew’s Theatre closed in 1975. In December 1976, the theatre reopened with five screens with cinema one in the former orchestra area, cinema three in the balcony, cinema two over the orchestra, and cinema four and five in the backstage area. During 2000 the division between the five screens was demolished, restoring the original single auditorium configuration. Replaced with a club, and then a gym, much of its architecture including its grand archways and bas-relief sculptures still existed. Demolished 2022.

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