Looking southwest towards the corner of Queen St W and Triller Ave in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the building when it was the Parkdale Theatre, located at 1605 Queen St W. The marquee featured the films “Humoresque,” starring Joan Crawford, John Garfield, and Oscar Levant, and “A Chump at Oxford,” starring Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel, which were released in 1946 and 1940, respectively. Notice the theatre’s sign included a clock.
Jule and Jay Allen opened the theatre in 1920, which had 1,500 seats, crystal chandeliers, and a decorative plaster ceiling. After the Parkdale Theatre closed in 1970, the building served as commercial space for various businesses, including the Eaton’s Bargain Centre Clearance store, a Brewers Retail outlet, and a bookstore, among others.
In 2020, the building was added to the city’s heritage register, and that same year, it was transformed into The Parkdale Hall, a multi-use event space. The building’s interior features the restored ornate ceiling.
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: Apr 1, 1920, pg 29
- The Parkdale Hall: About Us
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: City of Toronto Archives
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory, courtesy of Toronto Public Library
