Palace Theatre, Calgary
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The Palace Theatre is a historic building in
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
, Alberta. It is Calgary's oldest surviving movie theatre and one of only three surviving Canadian examples of the work of American architect
C. Howard Crane Charles Howard Crane (August 13, 1885 – August 14, 1952) was an American architect who was primarily active in Detroit, Michigan. His designs include Detroit's Fox Theatre and Olympia Stadium, as well as LeVeque Tower in Columbus, Ohio, whi ...
. Built by the
Allen family Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...
, the building served as a theatre from 1921 to 1990. Located in Calgary's Stephen Avenue Mall, it operated as a nightclub from 1998 to 2004 and has been used as a sports bar and special event centre since 2007. The building was designated as a Provincial Historic Resource in 1996 and as a
National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of 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 of national historic significance. Parks C ...
in 1997.


History

The Palace Theatre was designed by American architect
C. Howard Crane Charles Howard Crane (August 13, 1885 – August 14, 1952) was an American architect who was primarily active in Detroit, Michigan. His designs include Detroit's Fox Theatre and Olympia Stadium, as well as LeVeque Tower in Columbus, Ohio, whi ...
in 1921. It is Calgary's oldest surviving movie theatre and one of only three surviving Canadian examples of Crane's work. The theatre was built by the
Allen family Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...
who, at the time, operated the largest cinema chain in Canada. Crane was the principal architect for Allen Theatres. The theatre opened on October 25, 1921 as the Allen's Palace Theatre. With 1,951 seats, it was the largest theatre in the city at the time. It was sold to
Famous Players Famous Players Limited Partnership was a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous film, movie theatre ...
in 1923 when the Allen theatre circuit went bankrupt. The theatre's early programs varied heavily in terms of content and included both films and live entertainment. The theatre served as the first home for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. According to the Alberta Register of Historic Places, the theatre was the site of Calgary's first radio broadcast in 1922. From 1925 to 1927,
William Aberhart William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as "Bible Bill" for his radio sermons about the Bible, was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943. He was the founder and first le ...
, who would later become the founder of the
Alberta Social Credit Party Alberta Social Credit was a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on social credit monetary policy put forward by C.H. Douglas, Clifford Hugh Douglas and on conservative Christian social values. The Canadian social credi ...
and
premier of Alberta The premier of Alberta is the head of government and first minister of the Canadian province of Alberta. The current premier is Danielle Smith, leader of the governing United Conservative Party, who was sworn in on October 11, 2022. The premi ...
, broadcast his radio sermons about the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
from the theatre's stage. In the 1980s, the City of Calgary attempted to designate the building as a historic site. Calgary's Heritage Advisory Board spent several years studying the matter, but political priorities shifted amid the
early 1980s recession The early 1980s recession was a severe economic recession that affected much of the world between approximately the start of 1980 and 1982. Long-term effects of the early 1980s recession contributed to the Latin American debt crisis, long-lastin ...
and the endeavour was abandoned. The City of Calgary Heritage Advisory Board applied to the province for a designation in 1990; however, the designation was not granted since the owners at the time – Parkview Properties Ltd. – were opposed. The building functioned as a movie theatre until February 8, 1990. The last film shown in the theatre was
Tango & Cash ''Tango & Cash'' is a 1989 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Jack Palance, and Teri Hatcher. The film follows the titular pair of rival police detectives who are forced to work together after a crim ...
. The 1,000 seats on the first floor of the auditorium were removed by Famous Players and sold to other businesses throughout the city. In 1993, the building was used as a movie set for
Legends of the Fall ''Legends of the Fall'' is a 1994 American epic historical Western drama film directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond and Henry Thomas. Based on the 1979 novella of the same title by Jim ...
. Several attempts were made to re-purpose the building in the 1990s. In September 1994, Dancers' Studio West announced a plan to raise $7 million to purchase the building from Capital Life Insurance of Colorado and convert it into a performing arts centre. However, the company failed to raise the necessary funds. In January 1996, Opus Development Ltd. announced a plan to purchase the building and lease it to
Winners Winners Merchants International L.P. is a chain of off-price Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies. Its market niche is similar to the American chain TJ Maxx, and it is a partnered retailer to department stores HomeSense and Marshall ...
, with the intent of opening the store on October 25, exactly 75 after the building first opened its doors. However, the building was designated a Provincial Historic Resource in May 1996, meaning no changes could be made to the building without government approval. The company's plans included removing the theatre's balcony to accommodate two stories of retail space, which the province's heritage officials rejected and the proposal ultimately fell through. The building was designated as a
National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of 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 of national historic significance. Parks C ...
on September 22, 1997. The building remained vacant until it was acquired by a consortium of business owners known as the Pharaoh's Group in 1998. It re-opened on May 13, 1998, as a 1,200-patron nightclub called the Palace. During the $4.1 million renovation, a wallet belonging to one of the theatre's patrons that had been lost 42 earlier was found and returned to the owner's family. The nightclub closed down in February 2004 and the building remained vacant for another three years. The building was later acquired by Atlas Development Corp. The building was leased to Concorde Entertainment Group and, in 2007, the company partnered with the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
to convert the theatre into a 1,200-capacity sports bar and special event facility called Flames Central. Following another $2 million renovation, Flames Central opened in March 2007. In 2017, the establishment's name was changed to Palace Theatre.


Architecture and style

The building was designed in the Neoclassical style and features a symmetrical façade with evenly spaced fluted
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s capped with
Corinthian capitals The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...
, an oversized
cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
, and classical detailing in the window surrounds. Other ornamentation includes the carved stones above the second-storey windows, and the faux wrought iron balconies.


See also

* List of National Historic Sites of Canada in Alberta


References

{{coord, 51.04541, -114.06655, format=dms, type:landmark_region:CA-AB, display=title 1921 establishments in Alberta Buildings and structures completed in 1921 Buildings and structures on the National Historic Sites of Canada register Historic buildings and structures in Calgary Movie palaces Music venues in Calgary Theatres completed in 1921 Theatres in Alberta