| The Grand Theatre in Sudbury
first opened around 1908 as a live venue, and by the 1930s was showing
both live acts and motion pictures. The theatre was located in a
very large building that also included shops, a photographer’s
studio, and even the bus depot, right under the stage! |
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to see a larger image (104K)
Grand Theatre, Sudbury, exterior, 1941
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-253-7
Archives of Ontario, I0012573
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Grand Theatre, Sudbury, front of auditorium,
viewed from balcony, 1941
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-253-3
Archives of Ontario, I0012570 |
It was an old-fashioned theatre, built in the style of a grand
opera house. A letter from the Chairman of the Ontario Board of
Censors to the Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister William
Lyon Mackenzie King, dated April 12, 1938, describes the theatre:
“The Grand Theatre… is a brick building with an interior practically all of
wood construction including a balcony. It is classified
among the more hazardous in the Province and the department
is of the opinion that complete renovation is long overdue”
RG 56-9-0-69-12 |
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to see a larger image (107K)
Grand Theatre, Sudbury, entrance hall, 1941
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-253-2
Archives of Ontario, I0012569 | 
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to see a larger image (108K)
Grand Theatre, Sudbury, lounge, 1941
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-253-1
Archives of Ontario, I0012568 |
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to see a larger image (100K)
Grand Theatre, Sudbury, front of auditorium, 1941
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-253-4
Archives of Ontario, I0012571 |
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to see a larger image (91K)
Grand Theatre, Sudbury, foyer, 1941
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-253-8
Archives of Ontario, I0012574 |
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By the late 1940s, the Motion Picture Censorship and Theatre
Inspection Branch felt that the necessary improvements could
no longer be postponed, and the theatre was informed that its
license would not be renewed. The owners decided not to bring
the theatre up to standard, and the Grand Theatre closed its
doors in 1949.
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to see a larger image (119K)
Grand Theatre, Sudbury, rear of auditorium, 1941
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-253-5
Archives of Ontario, I0012572 |
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