Published on : January 22 2016
Last modified on : November 08 2022
Alert submitted by: Jason Prince
The theater opened in February 1937. It is a rare example of a Streamline Moderne cinema with a lavish art deco interior by designer Emmanuel Briffa, designer of the interior of the Rialto Theatre and 60 other cinemas in Canada.
The building was put up for sale by the City of Montreal in January 2016. The Snowdon Theatre was acquired in 2018 by a real estate developer, who has since built a building with 55 contemporary condominiums. We are facing a case of façadism: only the main façade is maintained and will be restored, while the interiors were completely destroyed.
TheatreSnowdon_Google Maps
In 1950 the entrance facade was modified and a new marquee was added. In 1968 it showed X-rated movies. In 1972 it screened Charlie Chaplin films for approximately an entire year. The cinema closed in 1982 and sat vacant for a number of years. In 1990 the building was re-purposed as a small shopping center. The 25,000 square foot interior was heavily modified and rebuilt by Rafid Louis and Emile Fattal, splitting the theater itself into two floors and sub-dividing the remaining space. Most of the Snowdon theater’s original walls and ceiling art deco remained intact on the top floor, where a gymnastics center operated for a number of years. Flexart Gymnastics, the last remaining tenant, was evicted in late 2013 due to deterioration and safety concerns with the building’s roof. (Wikipedia)
Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Public
Vacant
Demand for land, speculation
Daniel John Crighton, architect Emmanuel Briffa, designer
City of Montréal
Cultural
1936-1937
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