Proposed alterations to Loew's Winter Garden Theatre (Toronto)

Part Of: Harold S. Kaplan fonds; Architectural projects series; Proposed alterations to Loew's Winter Garden Theatre (Toronto) sub-series

Part Of: Harold S. Kaplan fonds; Architectural projects series; Proposed alterations to Loew's Winter Garden Theatre (Toronto) sub-series

Physical Description: 5 drawings : blueline and blackline prints ; 60 x 101 cm

Admin History/Bio: The Winter Garden Theatre was built in 1913-1914 and opened on 16 Feb. 1914, the upper half of a double-decker theatre complex which included Loew's Yonge Street Theatre at street-level. The theatres were designed by Thomas Lamb and were the flagship of Loew's theatre chain in Canada.; The Winter Garden was an "atmospheric theatre", with a simulated sky and stars, columns painted to resemble tree trunks, garden scenes painted on the walls, and lanterns, blossoms and beech leaves hung from the ceiling. Performers would appear at both theatres, but the Winter Garden was considered more exclusive than Loew's Yonge Street Theatre, with fewer seats (approx. 1400), higher ticket prices and reserved seating.; With the decline in popularity of vaudeville during the 1920s, the Winter Garden was closed in 1928. It remained closed and unused until 1981, when it and the Elgin (as the Yonge Street Theatre had been renamed) were purchased and subsequently restored by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. The theatres re-opened in Dec. 1989.; While histories of the Winter Garden typically describe it as a "time capsule" which remained sealed and undisturbed from the time of its closing in 1928 until it was restored, the architectural drawings in this sub-series document two proposed renovations of the Winter Garden during those decades.

Scope and Content: Sub-series consists of drawings for 2 proposed renovations of the theatre, by Kaplan & Sprachman in 1944, and by Harold Kaplan in 1968.

Notes: Project reference codes 44-K-160 (Kaplan & Sprachman), and 68-6 (Harold S. Kaplan).