Official page of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre – a National Historic Site and the world’s last operating double-decker theatre.
In 1913, prominent New York architect Thomas W. Lamb designed this remarkable theatre complex, which was constructed on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto over an eight-month period. The complex featured two large theatres, stacked one above the other, and was the Canadian flagship for Marcus Loew’s growing chain of vaudeville houses. Fewer than a dozen double-decker theatres were built worldwide and Loew’s was the only one ever built in Canada.
Although vaudeville was extremely popular at the time, movies were the coming mass entertainment. By 1930, the Elgin had been wired for sound and the live acts discontinued. The Winter Garden, which had been closed in 1928, was abandoned. The Elgin had operated continuously until 1981 and had undergone several periods of renovation before gradually being allowed to slide into disrepair.
In 1981, the Ontario Heritage Trust purchased the building, thus securing its future. Recognizing the historical and architectural importance of the complex, the Trust embarked on a plan to carry out the largest theatre restoration ever undertaken in Canada. The fully restored Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre re-opened on December 15, 1989.
Today the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre is a National Historic Site and is host to many live performances including concerts, musicals, operas and stand-up comics. It is also a venue for TIFF film galas and home to Ross Petty Productions and Opera Atelier.
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