History Of The Grand Theatre
First, it was Martin's Opera House
Martin's Opera House was built in 1879 by William C. Martin, a businessman and supporter of the arts. The theatre experiences great success as it presented over 1200 live performances including opera, minstrels, band concerts and such traveling celebrities as Oscar Wilde.
In 1889, it presented Canada's first opera, Leo, the Royal Cadet, which was written by two Kingston residents, Oscar Telgmann, and George Cameron. After almost twenty years, the theatre burnt to the ground on December 6, 1898.
The Grand gets its name
Rebuilt in 1902 by Ambrose J. Small and E.J. Barker Pense, the Grand Opera House was rated one of the most modern theatres in Canada. It opened on January 15 of that year with the comic opera Dolly Vardon and went on to host many operas and dramas with great success. Famous performers at the Grand Opera House include: Sarah Bernhardt, Harry Houdini, and Al Jolson.
In 1919, Small sold the Grand and all his other theatres for $1,700,000. Small disappeared the day of the sale and is thought to have been murdered, though this mystery has never been solved.
Then it was a movie theatre
In 1938, the Famous Players motion picture chain bought the Grand and opened it as a movie theatre with the film College Swing, starring Burns and Allen, Jackie Coogan, Betty Grable, Martha Raye and Bob Hope. The Grand served as a movie house until 1961 when it was sold to parking syndicate who intended to turn it into a parking lot. A wrecking crew stripped the old theatre bare.
Kingstonians save the Grand
A citizens' group headed by Margaret Shortliffe rallied to revive the tradition of the Old Opera House and the City of purchased the building in 1962 for $51,631.64. About 300 Kingstonians canvassed to raise money to restore the Grand Theatre. By 1966, the Grand Theatre re-opened as Kingston's Civic Auditorium with a performance of Spring Thaw, Canada's national satirical revue. The Welsh Rhos choir was the official opening act on May 26, 1967.
The Grand Theatre has undergone four major renovations since 1966. The most recent restoration project was the most substantial overhaul of the Grand the City has ever undertaken, demonstrating the ongoing commitment to this historic landmark.
The City of Kingston and the Grand Theatre Restoration Foundation raised the 17.1 million required for this impressive restoration. Some of the highlights include:
- Cleaning the exterior of the Princess Street façade and improving the lighting and marquee.
- Updating the main auditorium with new catwalks, box seats, ambient lighting, doors and wider seats. The redesigned auditorium now feature better sightlines and acoustics.
- Upgrading the lobbies, bar and public areas including washrooms.
- Repairing the auditorium and fly tower roof and removing the interior ceiling.
- Upgrading the stage area by adding 2220 square feet of green room and storage space under the stage, excavating for an orchestra pit lift, installing insulated doors to stage left installing a new dimmer systems along with new performance equipment.
- Improving and expanding the seating capacity of the Baby Grand Theatre.
- Reconfiguring and improving the second floor lobby and Springer Lounge.
- Upgrading the mechanical, electrical heating, air conditioning and safety systems.
- Purchasing an acoustic shell to improve the acoustics for the Kingston Symphony Orchestra and other musical performances and installing overhead reflectors and winches.
The newly restored Grand Theatre opened on May 2, 2008. For complete list of donors who contributed to the Grand Again Theatre Campaign, visit the City of Kingston website.
