The former Bayview Theatre, now a Shoppers Drug Mart, is located at 1605 Bayview Ave, just two blocks south of Eglinton Ave E in Toronto’s Leaside neighbourhood.
Built in 1936, the Bayview Theatre featured 750 seats and was designed by the architectural duo Kaplan and Sprachman in the Art Deco style. As seen in archival photographs, the building not only housed the movie theatre but also included storefronts flanking its entrance. The theatre’s sign had a decorative cone-shaped light, and the marquee displayed two films: “They Met in Bombay” and “Knockout,” along with the slogan “Vitamin E means Entertainment.” It closed as a movie theatre in 1961.
In 1965, new owners converted the space into a 496-seat live theatre venue known as The Playhouse, or the Bayview Playhouse. The venue hosted several popular musicals, including “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” in the late 1960s and “Godspell” in 1972/1973. The latter featured a number of actors who went on to become comedic legends, such as Gilda Radner, Martin Short and Eugene Levy. In 1978, the Bayview Playhouse, known for musicals, was sold and expanded its productions to include dramatic performances before ultimately closing in 1993.
The building later housed a variety of shops, and since 2011, it has been home to a Shoppers Drug Mart.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Toronto Daily Star Newspaper Archives: May 29, 1936, pg 6
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: May 5, 1965, pg 1
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Oct 23, 1965, pg 17
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Jan 25, 1968, pg 12
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Aug 24, 1972, pg 36
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: May 11, 1973, pg 32
- The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Feb 10, 1978, pg 16
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: Nov 4, 1993, pg E2
- The Toronto Star Newspaper Archives: May 28, 2022, pgs C10 & C11
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
