Halifax Retail

[Spire]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Maybe not the right thread for this, but I was in MEC last night, and noticed that they have a bunch of "green building tour" signs sprinkled throughout the building. One reads that: "The building's previous brick shell is still here, sandwiched between Styrofoam insulation and covered with stucco on the outside."

Sure enough, towards the sale section, there's a small area of clearly old exposed brick wall. Given what the building looks like, I always assumed it was purpose-built for MEC, but apparently they repurposed an old building, rebuilding it entirely on the interior and entombing the old shell in stucco and foam. Anybody have any idea what it looked like pre-MEC? (Or what might be lurking under its rather hideous facade?)

Indeed. The space where MEC is today was previously the Paramount Theatre, an 1100-seat Famous Players movie palace open between 1949 and 1988:

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3452

The main entrance and lobby for the theatre were located on Barrington St, where the Centre for Arts and Technology entrance is today (the awning over the entrance is a holdover from the theatre), and the auditorium was situated exactly where MEC is today.

The space sat vacant between 1988 and 2001, during which time there were numerous attempts to turn it into a performing arts centre, which failed. Just take a look at these entries in the HRM archives:

http://gencat1.eloquent-systems.com/...word=paramount

The only picture of the interior I've been able to find is in Mike Rivest's list of NS movie theatres:

http://movie-theatre.org/canada/ns/ns.htm

Looks like it was a nice theatre, although I never got to go there, sadly.

[Drybrain]

Cool, thanks. I was afraid there was some excellent Victorian facade hidden away underneath that garish green stucco, but since it was the auditorium of a theatre, I'll assume that it's probably little more than a big, blank brick wall.

Too bad the theatre itself couldn't have been re-used, of course—between that, the Capitol, and the NFB building, that's a lot of former theatres that don't exist anymore. Oh well.

[Keith P.]

Certainly on the Granville st side, the Paramount was just a brick box.

It was large enough that somewhere in the 1970s or so, it was split into 2 theaters, with a large and small theater running 2 different films.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Certainly on the Granville st side, the Paramount was just a brick box.

It was large enough that somewhere in the 1970s or so, it was split into 2 theaters, with a large and small theater running 2 different films.

The small thetare was probably the first 'stadium' seating movie theatre that I had been in.

Halifax also had the Hyland theatre (at the rotary), Scotia Square theatre, the Cove and Casino theatres on Gottingen, Wormwoods theatre in various locations, and I think Dartmouth had one in downtown.

[Dmajackson]

Originally Posted by Spire

Indeed. The space where MEC is today was previously the Paramount Theatre, an 1100-seat Famous Players movie palace open between 1949 and 1988:

So Famous Players built the Park Lane theatre as a replacement for the Barrington location?

Just wondering but was Park Lane ever a really successful retail mall? I've been going there since I was born but it has always seemed like it's just the movie theatre that attracts people and there aren't any destination stores ...

[MonctonRad]

I have fond memories of the Hyland, Oxford, Paramount and Scotia Square theatres, but the Casino not so much (mostly because of the neigbourhood). Gottingen in the 1980's was pretty grungy.

[JET]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I have fond memories of the Hyland, Oxford, Paramount and Scotia Square theatres, but the Casino not so much (mostly because of the neigbourhood). Gottingen in the 1980's was pretty grungy.

Have you been in the Oxford since they renovated? They now have digital films ( I saw Tinker tailor Soldier Spy there on spooled film, not good) they took out every second row in the balcony with new seats, and you could fit a footstool now and stretch out.

[Drybrain]

Too bad one or two more of the old neighbourhood cinemas weren't still around. They've see a resurgence in a lot of places, but that's not possible here because they've been torn down. I bet a one-screen theatre on Barrington or even Gottingen could make a go if it these days, and the inner city needs another theatre in addition to Park Lane and Oxford. An indie or rep cinema would be ideal--too bad the Oxford doesn't really fill that role.

[JET]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Too bad one or two more of the old neighbourhood cinemas weren't still around. They've see a resurgence in a lot of places, but that's not possible here because they've been torn down. I bet a one-screen theatre on Barrington or even Gottingen could make a go if it these days, and the inner city needs another theatre in addition to Park Lane and Oxford. An indie or rep cinema would be ideal--too bad the Oxford doesn't really fill that role.

The Casino is still technically there, be interesting to see what still remains inside. There also used to be films at the Cohn on Sunday evenings, I remember seeing Apocalypse Now there in the early 80's; also the SUB at Dal often screened movies.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by JET

Have you been in the Oxford since they renovated? They now have digital films ( I saw Tinker tailor Soldier Spy there on spooled film, not good) they took out every second row in the balcony with new seats, and you could fit a footstool now and stretch out.

Alas no. When I go to the movies in Halifax now, it's usually the megaplex at Bayers Lake because of the IMAX. We have two eight-theatre cinemas in Moncton, all with stadium seating and one with Empire Extra (or whatever Cineplex calls their version of this technology). As such, IMAX is the only unique thing that Halifax has on us right now.

My favourite old theatres in Halifax though were the Oxford and the Hyland. I really liked the neighbourhood feel that these two theatres had. It just seemed to make things cosy, and it was nice being able to walk to the local theatre. It just seemed to add to the overall experience.

Unfortunately, with modern economics, megaplex theatres make sense, just like 4-plex hockey arenas make sense. I understand this, but it is still very sad to see the demise of the local cinema......

[Spire]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

Too bad one or two more of the old neighbourhood cinemas weren't still around. They've see a resurgence in a lot of places, but that's not possible here because they've been torn down. I bet a one-screen theatre on Barrington or even Gottingen could make a go if it these days, and the inner city needs another theatre in addition to Park Lane and Oxford. An indie or rep cinema would be ideal--too bad the Oxford doesn't really fill that role.

I'm always amazed at how the Oxford has managed to survive this long, considering the fate of all the other single-screen theatres in Halifax. It was a matter of lucky timing, I think: if Famous Players had owned the Oxford when Park Lane opened, I bet that would have been the end. But Empire Theatres (whose head offices were in Halifax and Stellarton) took it over in 1984 from Odeon, and kept it running. Anytime I talked to an Empire Theatres exec, I always got the sense that they had a certain pride in the Oxford, apart from simply how much money it was making. Now that Cineplex owns it, I'm really worried that the bean counters in Toronto aren't going to see much value in keeping it for long...

[JET]

one of the things I like about the Oxford, is that when I go there I feel so young.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

My favourite old theatres in Halifax though were the Oxford and the Hyland. I really liked the neighbourhood feel that these two theatres had. It just seemed to make things cosy, and it was nice being able to walk to the local theatre. It just seemed to add to the overall experience.

In the late '60s/early '70s, those were the two "upscale" theaters remaining after the closure of the Capital. I think I was only ever at the Hyland once before it burned down, but often went to the Oxford and enjoyed the 1940s/50s vibe. It was usually well-kept also. I do remember the original Paramount slightly, and it seemed huge to me as a child. I actually liked Scotia Square also, and remember that it was more of an auditorium feel than a theater. I recall when I went there for the first time in 1970 or '71 thinking that the floor was much less sloped than most other theaters I had been in, and the seats didn't have the 1940s mohair upholstery but instead had a breathable vinyl covering.

My mother would not let me go to the Vogue (prior to it later becoming the Eve when it became a X-rated cinema) because she felt it was dirty and unsavory. The Casino was acceptable, but barely. It seems to me the Casino was a reasonably big theater.

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Spire

Now that Cineplex owns it, I'm really worried that the bean counters in Toronto aren't going to see much value in keeping it for long...

I bet if they unloaded it they could find a local buyer to run it independently. In my experience in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto, neighbourhood cinemas have undergone a huge rebirth. Since it's the only operating one in the city, it's the only thing filling that niche.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by JET

The small thetare was probably the first 'stadium' seating movie theatre that I had been in.

Halifax also had the Hyland theatre (at the rotary), Scotia Square theatre, the Cove and Casino theatres on Gottingen, Wormwoods theatre in various locations, and I think Dartmouth had one in downtown.

Dartmouth had 2 in the downtown that I remember:

(1) The Mayfair Theatre on Portland street between Dundas and Victoria. Pic here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rdb466/8216987517/

It burnt down in the mid '70s in a large fire that took out the whole block IIRC.

What the block looks like today: https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.66716...1uXI9lECaA!2e0

(2) The Dundas Cinema or Theatre (can't remember which), on Dundas St (between Queen and Portland, IIRC). It also burned down in the seventies, but I don't recall whether it was in the same fire that took out the Mayfair.

[JET]

I was getting my theaters mixed up. I was thinking that the existing building is the old casino, but it's the old Vogue/Cove. I never knew it as the vogue, that was before my time in Halifax. http://spacing.ca/atlantic/2012/11/1...tingen-street/
I had been in it as the Cove, Flamingo and Wormwoods.

[JET]

http://spacing.ca/atlantic/2009/10/1...pitol-theatre/

I was never in the Capitol theater

[pblaauw]

Carbon Arc shows movies in the basement of the Natural History Museum from Oct-Apr, except Dec. I thought there was another indie cinema downtown-ish, but this seems to be the only one.

And who the heck told Yelp that Oxford Theatre was permanently closed?!

[xanaxanax]

Originally Posted by pblaauw

Carbon Arc shows movies in the basement of the Natural History Museum from Oct-Apr, except Dec. I thought there was another indie cinema downtown-ish, but this seems to be the only one.

And who the heck told Yelp that Oxford Theatre was permanently closed?!

Carbon Arc isn't a real threatre group, they like to call themselves one but they're not. there are half a dozen other groups in the city that do the same thing with weekly movies

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by xanaxanax

Carbon Arc isn't a real threatre group, they like to call themselves one but they're not. there are half a dozen other groups in the city that do the same thing with weekly movies

Should we build a replica Globe Theatre in Point Pleasant Park, then, to replace the burnt offices of Shakespeare by the Sea?