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The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre on Yonge Street

On the 86 kilometers long Yonge Street there are several historical sites. This is the main spinal route that divides all major crossing streets of Toronto to East and West, and it is the old gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was named after Sir George Yonge, an expert on ancient Roman roads. Near Yonge@Dundas, which is the centre of Ontario's capital, is the home of the last operating double-decker theater in the world.

I am grateful for having the opportunity to visit it during Heritage week. The building was designed by architect Thomas W. Lamb in 1913. The elegant lobby is magnificent until the moment you realize that it is a theater indeed, and the fancy look is achieved by fake marble, cheap gold paint and aluminium, and some names are misspelled. But "Lizt" is a real composer (Liszt), and the mirrors are endlessly reflecting the shine and splendor!

The two huge theatres on the top of each other targeted different audiences by varieties and silent movies. The classical looking lower theater was actually cheaper than the upper-level Winter Garden, that could be used for experimentation with acts in a more unique environment decorated with over 5000 tree branches and colorful lanterns. When the main lights were off, the small holes on the double ceiling imitated stars on the night sky within the forest.

In1928 the lower theater was converted to show sound films and the upper theater was closed, which elped to keep it more or less intact for about 60 years. Lovers could sneak in for romantic dark tours a to steal the cute lanterns, after the parties below, at the time when the Elgin was showing mainly B movies and soft core pornography! The building was heavily worn, the decorations were over painted more than 28 times, which led to an opportunity to host the Cats, when all walls inside Elgin were let to cover pure black paint for the famous show in 1981. With the raised money the Ontario Heritage Foundation and volunteers fully restored and reopened it for the new era.

In the nineties an electroacoustic enhancement was installed that includes 56 loudspeakers in the main ceiling and 60 under the balcony. Since then mostly musicals and concerts (e.g. Brian Adams) entertain. The building or it's parts can be rented for festivals, movie shoots, banquets, private events. This is also the home of the world's largest surviving of vaudeville flats and scenery collection.

I loved the hundred years old elevator experience and the informative guiding through the interesting history of entertainment. Whenever there was a crisis, change of habits, it could always be saved and eventually new functions were found. In the busy downtown where the land was often needed for different modern businesses it became a protected site, and the theater ghost doesn't need to hunt us in a once planned parking lot. Please follow this link for your virtual tour!

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