Humber Cinemas

Humber Cinemas, originally the Odeon Humber Theatre, was a movie theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The theatre was operated by the Odeon and Loews Cineplex chains until 2003. The theatre re-opened as an independent theatre in 2011 and operated until 2019 when it closed permanently. The theatre was located on Bloor Street just west of Jane Street.[1]

The theatre in 2018.

The Humber opened on January 27, 1948.[2] It was designed by architect Jay Isadore, originally seating 1200 patrons in one large auditorium, which was split into upper and lower auditoriums in the 1970s.[2] It was operated for decades by the Odeon cinema chain, was closed in 2003, abandoned, and re-opened by new owners in 2011, after a $350,000 renovation.[2][1] According to Doug Taylor, author of Toronto's Local Theatres of Yesteryear, operator Rui Pereira preserved the upper auditorium, but split the lower auditorium into four smaller auditoria.[3]

The reopening was a success, so local residents were concerned when Plazacorp, the sites owner, planned to tear down the building, to build high-rise condominiums.[4] Local city councillor Sarah Doucette asked Plazacorp to incorporate a replacement cinema into its designs.[5] The theatre permanently closed on May 30, 2019.[6]

References
  1. Peter Howell (April 21, 2011). "Howell: Dreams of moviegoing glamour as the Humber rises again". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 22, 2017. He’s aiming to bring back the glory days of decades past, when going to a movie was like going to see a stage play. There were elegant lobbies, sweeping stairs and uniformed staff to greet people, and big screens in auditoriums that didn’t resemble boxes.
  2. Stephen Michalowicz (September 22, 2010). "The Humber Cinema Is Set To Return". Torontoist. Retrieved May 22, 2017. The theatre, which is located on the north side of Bloor Street West just west of Jane Street, opened in 1949 and has been vacant since it closed due to lackluster attendance in 2003.
  3. Doug Taylor (2016). Toronto's Local Movie Theatres of Yesteryear: Brought Back to Thrill You Again. Dundurn Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 9781459733428.
  4. Derek Flack (February 2, 2016). "Humber Cinema could be replaced by condos". Blog TO. Retrieved May 22, 2017. The curtains might be set to draw on the Humber Cinema as developer Plazacorp has announced its intentions to build a 14-storey condo tower on the site of the movie theatre at Bloor and Jane streets. One of the original Odeon theatres in Toronto, the Humber opened in 1948.
  5. Luke Simcoe (May 13, 2016). "Historic Humber Cinema in Toronto could be torn down for condos". Metro News. Retrieved May 22, 2017. Developer Plazacorp has submitted a proposal to build a 14-storey condo tower on the site of the Humber Cinema on Bloor Street West. Local councillor Sarah Doucette said it’s still early in the process, but she doubts the historic theatre will survive intact.
  6. Peter Howell (May 30, 2019). "Humber Cinemas' last picture show is Thursday as condo projects claim another landmark". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
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