Circa 1950 – The Royal Theatre was located at the southeast corner of Dundas St W and Dufferin St in Toronto (City of Toronto Archives, Ken Webster Fonds, Fonds 251, Series 1278, File 144)
The Royal Theatre was once located at 1481-1483 Dundas St W (at Dufferin St on the southeast corner) in the Little Portugal neighbourhood of Toronto.
Taglietti Amusements
The first mention of a theatre at this address appears in the 1911 City of Toronto Directory, listed as John Lancaster Amusements. At that time, theatres were commonly referred to as “amusements” because they were originally intended as venues for pleasure and entertainment.
In the following year, John Taglietti purchased the theatre and renamed it Taglietti Amusements. In 1913, he hired architect Neil Beggs to design a $5,000 addition and renovation, transforming the theatre into a two-storey structure and doubling its capacity. Mr. Taglietti lived on the top floor, which was accessed through a separate doorway to the left of the theatre’s entrance.
In the early 1920s, the venue was known as King Barnet Amusements before being renamed the Oriental Theatre for a brief period. Afterward, Mr Taglietti sold it.
The Royal Theatre
In 1925, the new owners changed its name to the Royal Theatre. In 1938, the venue underwent renovations, which included an update to the exterior entrance. Although the theatre did not have a balcony, the 336 seats in the auditorium were fitted with plush backs. In the summer of 1955, the building was put up for sale for $38,000, which included the theatre, a 7-room apartment above, and a 6-room attached house. The Royal Theatre was last listed in the 1956 Toronto City Directory. While this theatre was named the Royal, it should not be confused with the current Royal Theatre on College St.
In the late 1950s, the theatre was reseated to accommodate 287 guests and briefly reopened as the Roma Theatre, screening Italian-language films.
After the Theatre & the Building Today
By 1960, the building had been converted into Dufferin Billiards, which operated in that capacity until approximately 1971 and then became Roma Billiards until the mid-1970s. By 1980, the building was transformed into Hakim Optical, which closed in 2025.
Click to share your comments below.
Royal Theatre Photos
Circa 1947 – Looking southeast along Dundas St W from Dufferin St in Toronto. The photograph captures the Royal Theatre at the corner, which was showing “The Big Fix” starring James Brown and Sheila Ryan. A few doors down from the theatre is Taglietti Hardware. Notably, the theatre was owned by John Taglietti from 1912 to 1924 (City of Toronto Archives, Ken Webster Fonds, Fonds 251, Series 1278, File 144)Circa 1950 – The Royal Theatre was located at the southeast corner of Dundas St W and Dufferin St in the Little Portugal neighbourhood of Toronto. It operated from 1925 until the mid-1950s, although the building had housed various named theatres since 1911. More recently, it was occupied by Hakim Optical, which has since closed (City of Toronto Archives, Ken Webster Fonds, Fonds 251, Series 1278, File 144)1951 – Looking east from Dufferin St towards the shops and businesses on Dundas St W. In the foreground, notice the Loblaws grocery store on the left and the Royal Theatre on the right (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 115)Late-1950s – A real estate listing photo of the building located at 1481-1483 Dundas St W/617 Dufferin St. By this time, the venue had become known as the Roma Theatre and was on the market for $48,000 (City of Toronto Archives, Ken Webster Fonds, Fonds 251, Series 1278, File 144)Mid-1970s – A real estate listing featured a photo of the building at 1481-1483 Dundas St W/617 Dufferin St when the old theatre building was home to Roma Billiards. At that time, the property was listed for sale at $149,900. Notice the building once featured a series of bay windows on the second storey (City of Toronto Archives, Ken Webster Fonds, Fonds 251, Series 1278, File 144)April 10, 2022 – Looking southeast at the corner of Dundas St W and Dufferin St in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood. The building at 1481-1483 Dundas St W was home to Hakim Optical from 1980 until 2025, when it closed down. However, from 1911 until the late 1950s, the building served as a theatre and was known as the Royal Theatre for several of those years1947 – The Toronto City Directory showing the location of the Royal Theatre at 1483 Dundas St W (Courtesy of Toronto Public Library)1919 – The Toronto City Directory showing the location of Taglietti Amusements at 1483 Dundas St W (Courtesy of Toronto Public Library)
SOURCE
Engineering and Contract Record: Jan 1913, Volume 27, Number 1, pg 70
Engineering and Contract Record: Apr 1913, Volume 27, Number 14, pg 74
