This 113-year-old Calgary theatre is the oldest in Western Canada
Back when Calgary had just 50,000 residents, Senator James Lougheed saw demand for an entertainment hub and opened the Grand Theatre, which remains the oldest theatre in Western Canada.
A visionary businessman, Lougheed enlisted the help of L. R. Wardrop to bring his vision to life. While Lougheed and Wardrop were essential to the opening and development of the theatre, Lougheed’s wife, Belle, played a massive role in getting it to where it is today.
Belle was a socialite and advocate for the arts, and while James did the work on paper, Belle’s passion and dedication truly shaped the theatre into the cultural hub it is today.
When the Grand opened in 1912, it was the largest theatre in Canada at the time and a great example of modern innovation. It had electric lighting, dressing rooms, hot and cold water, and even automatic sprinklers, small conveniences in today’s world, but groundbreaking for audiences and performers back then.
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It was designed in the Chicago architectural style using locally sourced brick and sandstone. Inside featured 1,350 seats, 810 on the main floor of the theatre and 540 in the upper gallery.
Combined, the structures cost around $500,000, which would be around $13.3 million in today’s dollars.
Feb. 5, 1912 marked the opening show, a performance of The Passing of the Third Floor Back came to town featuring renowned actor Johnston Forbes-Robson.
The theatre hosted live shows featuring performers from all over the world. In 1926, following the passing of James, his son Clarence leased the theatre to the Famous Players movie chain, ending live performances at the theatre.
The theatre started to struggle in 1928. It was unable to attract audiences, lost its lease with Famous Players, and the repercussions from the Great Depression caused the theatre to become a significant financial problem for the Lougheed family. Looking for a way out, they decided to sell it.
In 1937, they sold the theatre to J.B. Barron, who found great success as the owner and manager of The Palace Theatre.
After some renovations and proper management, the theatre found new life, offering a mix of live performances and movie screenings.
Today, the Grand Theatre continues to be a cornerstone of Calgary’s art scene. It still hosts live performances and movie screenings to this day.
The theatre survived both world wars, the Great Depression, a fire, and a flood and still stands to tell the tale. While efforts have been made to secure historical status on the Grand, due to the number of renovations and alterations it has seen, it does not meet the criteria for historical preservation.