Mille Sabords
Aug 13, 2008, 3:06 PM
A good news-bad news story from Ken Gray last Friday (I'm surprised nobody has posted this yet). I hope the heritage designation goes through for the Mayfair... it may not prevent its closure as a cinema but anyone who's been inside knows it would be a tragedy to lose its interior. Vintage 1932 like they don't make'em anymore.
The news of a new independent rep theatre in Hintonburg is AWESOME. I will hang out there for sure. That part of town is starting to hold its own as a nightlife district.
===============================================
Return of the local cinema
Ken Gray
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, August 08, 2008
For movie and heritage buffs, there is good news and bad news.
First, the good news. A group of businesspeople are on the cusp of signing a lease at 1244 Wellington St. in the old west end, the current site of Mostly Danish Furniture Store, to open a repertory movie theatre much like the Bytowne Cinema on Rideau Street.
"We're aiming to take possession of the building in the middle of next winter to give us a couple of months of renovations for a late spring start," said John Yemen, one of the partners in the group.
Unfortunately, there is also bad news. Mr. Yemen and an associate have filed a application for heritage designation for the venerable Mayfair Theatre on Bank Street. That isn't bad news in itself, but the two are filing the application because they fear the Mayfair is about to be sold and there is no indication what the plans of the new owner are. Mr. Yemen and company are worried that Ottawa could lose the Mayfair, one of the last traditional downtown cinemas, to a new use. Creating the designation would force the new owner to preserve the historic theatre, said Stuart Lazear, the city co-ordinator of heritage planning. Repeated phone calls to the Mayfair inquiring about its status failed to illicit a response.
Meanwhile, the West Wellington Cinema, the working name of the new project, would be a boon to the Hintonburg area. Community activists have been trying with mixed results to turn that area into an arts and cultural district. The opening of the new digs of the Great Canadian Theatre Company has been a big help in that regard, as has been the success of current businesses such as Collected Works bookstore and Cube art gallery. A repertory theatre in the area could promote a nightly street scene in an area where the sidewalks quite often roll up around 9 p.m. There would be synergy with artists, cultural organizations and restaurants in the Parkdale Market-Westboro area. It could give the Wellington West-Hintonburg neighbourhood a foot up on becoming Ottawa's first entertainment district.
The investors, who according to Mr. Yemen are comprised of movie enthusiasts and filmmakers with much experience in the local arts scene, have been attempting for three years to start a neighbourhood theatre in the old west end. The group attempted to purchase the old GCTC building on Gladstone Avenue but lost in the bidding.
The film buffs also tried to buy the Chinese Bible Church in conjunction with some local developers but that failed. Interestingly, that building was the old Westboro Cinema in the 1950s. The group even attempted to purchase the former Elmdale Theatre on Wellington Street but the church that owns it now was unwilling to sell.
The investors are no longer allied with developers in the 1244 Wellington St. bid because the landlords only wanted to lease the site, not sell. "We're trying to leverage all of our available resources to make this deal happen," Mr. Yemen said.
They have a good location. That area has no cinemas and a rather trendy population that would gravitate to a rep theatre. And there is much purchasing power as the walkable neighbourhood gentrifies and six-storey condos pop up like toadstools after a rainstorm as a result of the city's inner city intensification plan. With the high price of gas, people are less willing to travel for their entertainment. That could prompt the re-emergence of the neighbourhood cinema, an institution that declined with the exodus to the suburbs and the advent of the mall multiplex theatre and electronic games emporiums.
The sad side of this story could be the Mayfair. It is a gem of a cinema and a huge community asset to Old Ottawa South and the Glebe. One would hate to see it disappear just as the rebirth of the neighbourhood theatre could be about to unfold.
In his letter applying for heritage designation, Mr. Yemen points out that the Mayfair is celebrating its 75th year and is one of the oldest independent theatres in Canada. Besides creating business and street life on Bank Street, it also has features that could be unique not just to Ottawa but to the country.
It is an "atmospheric theatre," Mr. Yemen said, that uses its interior architecture and decoration to draw people into the world of make-believe. There are faux and real balconies draped in expensive-looking fabric, wrought-iron lamps and ornate molding, and Ottawa's last auditorium clock.
Such is the agony and the ecstasy of local movie-goers. Ottawa might be getting a new rep theatre but the city could lose a cinematic landmark.
The news of a new independent rep theatre in Hintonburg is AWESOME. I will hang out there for sure. That part of town is starting to hold its own as a nightlife district.
===============================================
Return of the local cinema
Ken Gray
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, August 08, 2008
For movie and heritage buffs, there is good news and bad news.
First, the good news. A group of businesspeople are on the cusp of signing a lease at 1244 Wellington St. in the old west end, the current site of Mostly Danish Furniture Store, to open a repertory movie theatre much like the Bytowne Cinema on Rideau Street.
"We're aiming to take possession of the building in the middle of next winter to give us a couple of months of renovations for a late spring start," said John Yemen, one of the partners in the group.
Unfortunately, there is also bad news. Mr. Yemen and an associate have filed a application for heritage designation for the venerable Mayfair Theatre on Bank Street. That isn't bad news in itself, but the two are filing the application because they fear the Mayfair is about to be sold and there is no indication what the plans of the new owner are. Mr. Yemen and company are worried that Ottawa could lose the Mayfair, one of the last traditional downtown cinemas, to a new use. Creating the designation would force the new owner to preserve the historic theatre, said Stuart Lazear, the city co-ordinator of heritage planning. Repeated phone calls to the Mayfair inquiring about its status failed to illicit a response.
Meanwhile, the West Wellington Cinema, the working name of the new project, would be a boon to the Hintonburg area. Community activists have been trying with mixed results to turn that area into an arts and cultural district. The opening of the new digs of the Great Canadian Theatre Company has been a big help in that regard, as has been the success of current businesses such as Collected Works bookstore and Cube art gallery. A repertory theatre in the area could promote a nightly street scene in an area where the sidewalks quite often roll up around 9 p.m. There would be synergy with artists, cultural organizations and restaurants in the Parkdale Market-Westboro area. It could give the Wellington West-Hintonburg neighbourhood a foot up on becoming Ottawa's first entertainment district.
The investors, who according to Mr. Yemen are comprised of movie enthusiasts and filmmakers with much experience in the local arts scene, have been attempting for three years to start a neighbourhood theatre in the old west end. The group attempted to purchase the old GCTC building on Gladstone Avenue but lost in the bidding.
The film buffs also tried to buy the Chinese Bible Church in conjunction with some local developers but that failed. Interestingly, that building was the old Westboro Cinema in the 1950s. The group even attempted to purchase the former Elmdale Theatre on Wellington Street but the church that owns it now was unwilling to sell.
The investors are no longer allied with developers in the 1244 Wellington St. bid because the landlords only wanted to lease the site, not sell. "We're trying to leverage all of our available resources to make this deal happen," Mr. Yemen said.
They have a good location. That area has no cinemas and a rather trendy population that would gravitate to a rep theatre. And there is much purchasing power as the walkable neighbourhood gentrifies and six-storey condos pop up like toadstools after a rainstorm as a result of the city's inner city intensification plan. With the high price of gas, people are less willing to travel for their entertainment. That could prompt the re-emergence of the neighbourhood cinema, an institution that declined with the exodus to the suburbs and the advent of the mall multiplex theatre and electronic games emporiums.
The sad side of this story could be the Mayfair. It is a gem of a cinema and a huge community asset to Old Ottawa South and the Glebe. One would hate to see it disappear just as the rebirth of the neighbourhood theatre could be about to unfold.
In his letter applying for heritage designation, Mr. Yemen points out that the Mayfair is celebrating its 75th year and is one of the oldest independent theatres in Canada. Besides creating business and street life on Bank Street, it also has features that could be unique not just to Ottawa but to the country.
It is an "atmospheric theatre," Mr. Yemen said, that uses its interior architecture and decoration to draw people into the world of make-believe. There are faux and real balconies draped in expensive-looking fabric, wrought-iron lamps and ornate molding, and Ottawa's last auditorium clock.
Such is the agony and the ecstasy of local movie-goers. Ottawa might be getting a new rep theatre but the city could lose a cinematic landmark.
