Stanley Theatre

Frederick Guest, a theatre owner from Hamilton Ontario, commissioned Henry Holdsby Simmonds to design the Stanley Theatre, and it was completed in 1930. Simmonds also designed a number of buildings at the PNE, and other local theatres.
The Stanley Theatre cost approximately $225,000 to build, and had a capacity of over 1,200.
On April 4th of that year, the Vancouver Sun wrote that the theatre would be ultra modern, with “the latest talking pictures, and even a pipe organ.” This Art Deco style was commonly used for theatres in the 1920s and 30s, and the Stanley Theatre is no different, with its curving surface decoration, strong verticals, and stylized geometric forms.
The theatre’s interior is dominated by a large gilded dome and soaring arches, reminiscent of neoclassical style, and features Art Deco stylized light fixtures and ornamentation. The cupola and neon signs on the exterior were 1947 additions.

The Stanley Theatre was closed by Famous Players in 1991 and slated for demolition. The “Save our Stanley” campaign hit the ground running, and with financial backing from fundraising, government and corporate sponsorship, the theatre was bought by the Arts Club Theatre Company, and renovated and restored by Proscenium Architecture and Interiors.
It reopened in 1998 as a playhouse with 650 seats, a new lobby, expanded stage.
In 1999, it was awarded a City of Vancouver Heritage Award for the restoration. After a $1.5 million dollar donation from Industrial Alliance Pacific Life Insurance, it was renamed the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in 2005.

Source

Hal Kalman's Exploring Vancouver. The Vancouver Sun. History of Metropolitan Vancouver

More information

https://artsclub.com/about/our-story