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A New Golden Age in Moose Jaw
In most places, the Golden Age cinema is a thing of the past, renovated beyond recognition or reduced to rubble to make way for something new. Few of these pre-1920 cinemas that began as vaudeville houses and progressed through the silent era and into talkies still stand. In Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (population: 34,500) there's a movement afoot to save and restore the Capitol Theatre, which operated continuously on the city's Main Street from 1916 to 2001. The theatre, along with an abandoned department store, will be the base for an exciting new cultural centre located right in the heart of Moose Jaw's historic downtown. By 1982, when Moose Jaw's Capitol Theatre was subdivided into a 652-seat triplex from its original capacity of 910, the building was sinking into shabby old age. Over the years, it had seen its share of "improvements," none of which did anything to improve its overall condition. By the end of the century, as the building continued to decline, the owners began negotiating for land on which to erect a new six-screen multiplex, and put the Capitol up for sale. Local heritage buffs began to worry about the Cap's future. That's when Moose Jaw Arts In Motion (AIM) flew into action. A coalition of arts groups and individual artists formed the previous spring, AIM had been lobbying City Council for a downtown cultural centre even before the Capitol was on the market. In short order, the group arranged assessments of the building by architects specializing in historical sites, a construction supervisor, an electrician and an appraiser. Almost as rapidly, they assembled enough financial support from members and the private sector to make an offer to purchase the building, but the offer expired at the end of 1999 as negotiations between the City and the owners over land for the multiplex bogged down. In the meantime, at AIM's urging, the City had established a feasibility study on the cultural centre project. Completed in 2000, the feasibility study recommended incorporating two adjacent heritage buildings in the city's downtown for the new cultural facility. The former Army and Navy Department Store, built in 1918 and left empty when the company phased out all its Saskatchewan stores beginning in 1999, would provide a base for the visual arts facilities. The Capitol Theatre - if it became available - would enjoy new life as a performing arts and retro-cinema theatre. Arts In Motion used some of its funds to purchase the Army and Navy building, and hoped the theatre's owners eventually would come around. By mid 2001, with a modern, new multiplex theatre opening in town and offering stiff competition, the owners of the Capitol Theatre had to make some decisions. The first was to close the Cap, which had been the city's premiere theatre for 85 years. The second was to sell the building to Moose Jaw Arts In Motion, which had funds from an anonymous private donor earmarked for the theatre's acquisition. In the fall of 2001, AIM donated both properties to the City, which would take over ownership of the project and all that it entails. Thanks to their long history within the community, these two brick buildings have been designated Municipal Heritage Properties. A solid, two-storey, red brick structure, the Army and Navy building was completed in 1918 as the offices and stores for the Merchants' Bank of Canada. In the 1940's, it was converted to a department store and remained in service until 1999. The feasibility study determined that the Army and Navy building could accommodate the required art spaces, support services for the performing arts centre, and the majority of public and administrative spaces needed. As well, the building's configuration and structural stability lends itself to a future addition of a third level. As for the Cap, the study recommended working with a historical consultant to restore the interior to its original state. Although the building was designed in 1913 by Calgary architect Jack McTeague, the First World War intervened and the theatre wasn't built until 1916, when it was altered somewhat from the original design. The Capitol had many of the standard interior features of the period - quasi-classical bas-relief panels emblazoned with cherubs and the familiar crest of the Allen Theatre chain, an ornate plaster ceiling, plush carpeting in the aisles, mirrored pillars and tile floors in the lobby and marble entrance stairs and panels along the stairwells to the balcony. The most striking feature of the exterior is the decorative geometric design created with vari-coloured brick set into three large recessed panels. From above and below, white imprinted moldings highlight the panels. The original vertical exterior sign was replaced by a traditional over-hanging movie marquee shortly after World War Two. Removed at the same time was a pediment-like triangle at the centre of the parapet topped with the Allen Theatre crest. Now the challenge is to restore as much of the buildings' old glory as possible. The task of assembling the dollars needed to complete the project was turned over to the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre Builders Inc., a non-profit corporation of volunteers formed in April 2001 for the purpose of raising the remaining funds required. With over 75% of the total already in place, the Cultural Centre Builders are optimistic the remaining $1.8 million can be raised in time to start construction as early as possible in 2002 so that the facility will be open to coincide with the City's centennial celebrations in 2003. Those involved envision the cultural centre as part of a renaissance of the city's downtown that began in 1996 with the construction of Temple Gardens Mineral Spa, just around the corner. The new cultural centre will contribute enormously to enhancing the downtown's infrastructure, and will complement the Spa and Casino Moose Jaw, now under construction, as well as other nearby attractions like The Tunnels of Little Chicago (a theme development based on Moose Jaw's notorious gangster past), the River Street Restoration project, a new Tourist Information Centre and a Historic Train link between Moose Jaw and Regina. There's no question, Moose Jaw's Cultural Centre will be right in step with the times. Back to the Top Back to Cultural Centre Home Page |
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