Vogue Theatre is an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

Art Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

styled building originally built as a movie house, and currently used as an event venue for the performing arts. Situated on

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

’s “ Theatre Row", the building was designated as a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

in 1993.

History

The Vogue Theatre was designed by the architectural firm Kaplan & Sprachman. Construction began in 1940 and was completed in 1941. It was operated by Canadian Odeon Theatres until 1984, then by Cineplex Odeon. A 1998 restoration project brought back the Vogue Theatre’s original appearance, as well as state-of-the-art light and sound systems being installed. In 2010, the property's owner, Gibbons Hospitality Group, announced intentions of converting it to an event space. The Vogue has hosted such events such as Vancouver’s ComedyFest,

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

and

Vancouver International Jazz Festival The Vancouver International Jazz Festival is an annual summer event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The festival grew out of a local jazz scene that centred on Vancouver Co-op Radio (CFRO-FM), a community radio station, in the early 1980s ...

Architecture

The Vogue Theatre is an example of Art Deco or Moderne architecture. The Vogue has been a

since it was officially recognized by the federal government on November 20, 1993, under the Historic Sites and Monuments Act. The interiors of the building are not officially protected. The Vogue is also a City of Vancouver heritage "A" building.

Exterior design

The Vogue Theatre is crafted in the Art Deco style, emphasizing sleek lines and fluid contours. It has symmetrical façades, constructed in a mixture of textured concrete and terrazzo panels with wrought-iron screens. One of the defining features of Vogue is its large

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in D ...

which is topped by silhouette of the Roman Goddess Diana.

Interior design

The Vogue Theatre has 1,161 seats with 614 on the orchestra level, 211 in the Dress Circle, and 336 on the Upper Circle. It has curved balconies and curved ceilings in the Art Deco style. The Vogue has an elaborate modulated lighting system. The stage, made of black-painted maple, is equipped with a flying system 30 feet above the floor. The air-conditioning systems and ducts are concealed in the ceiling coves, which improves the acoustics of the theatre.

References

External links

Vogue Theatre

Vogue Theatre
at Cinema Treasures
Theatre Seating Design
{{Coord, 49.279796, -123.121661, display=title Music venues in Vancouver Art Deco architecture in Canada Cinemas and movie theatres in Vancouver Former cinemas in Canada National Historic Sites in British Columbia Theatres on the National Historic Sites of Canada register