After 25 years of service, Saint John’s Imperial Theatre has received a facelift to its façade. Today the theatre unveiled the final results of its three-phase façade restoration, with the completion of its new digital marquee. The theatre has been a crown jewel in uptown Saint John for 106 years now, so it may not be too surprising that the building has how a few makeovers now…
The Imperial Theatre originally opened on September 19, 1913. Designed by Philadelphia architect Albert Westover and decorated in an Italian Renaissance style. The interior was lavish, but the original marquee was tastefully austere.
In keeping with the times, like many theatres across North America, the Imperial Theatre was adapted as a cinema for the viewing of “talkies.” In 1929 the theatre was leased by the Famous Players and R.K.O. and renamed as Capitol Theatre. Live shows were still performed at the Capitol Theatre, but the theatre capitalized on the public demand for motion pictures, and similarly the marquee was treated to a series of glitzy awnings that reflected the changing times.
During the 1950s, the Capitol Theatre struggled to compete with the flourishing medium of television, and was ultimately purchased for the price of $166,000 by the Davis sisters. The building was then to the Full Gospel Assembly Pentecostal Church and from 1957-1982 it was used as a house of worship. The new church awning provided a clash of substance and style that should be recognized as a cardinal sin.
In 1982 the building embarked on a journey that began with a one dollar down payment, and a subsequent $999,999 within the year. From there it took 11 years to restore it to the full glory of its original 1913 grandeur of ornate mouldings, intricate carvings and gold leaf.
The theatre was renamed the Imperial Theatre and re-opened on May 24, 1994.
But nothing lasts forever. The tasteful return to style of the 1994 marquee was holding up, but decaying after 25 years of use.
“The current marquee is in such a poor state it cannot be salvaged. It was made of wood and the elements have been hard on it. It is coming down in pieces,” said Bethany Stout of the Imperial Theatre.
On January 7, 2019, with approval from the city of Saint John and the Saint John Heritage Board, a scheduled 8-10 installation of a new digital marquee began.
Designed by Atlantic Signs and built by Saint John’s Avant-Garde Construction the new marquee is a tasteful one. Taking inspiration from the marquees seen over the theatre’s one hundred and six year history, they’ve married it modern technology to prepare the theatre for the future.
It might be the best looking one yet.
