The 1300-seat cinema opened in 1949; and the first film to be shown was Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman. (The above picture is courtesy of The Archives of Ontario).
I remember lining up in '76 to see the premier of the new George Lucas film "Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope".
We were all suitably impressed with the opening scene depicting the Imperial-class Star Destroyer chasing Princess Leia.
It closed in 1986, just after the Toronto Film Festival wrapped up it's tenth year; despite efforts to keep it intact by film buffs, heritage groups and Mayor Art Eggleton.
The building was demolished completely, except for the facade.
The owners were unable to sell the property to any developers because the market was experiencing a bust.
Later, in the nineties, the deteriorating wall needed to be torn down, and with downtown property now at a premium, the owners were able to capitalize on their empty lot.
Originally, the plan was to built a nine screen theatre complex with condos on top, but it ended up being a retail store.
The facade was replicated and the fake facade is now the entranceway for the Pottery Barn.
The above image is from Wikipedia and is used with permission.
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