A map of the movie houses Calgary lost
Somewhere under a parking lot or a bank branch, there’s a spot where your grandparents once bought a ticket and a bag of popcorn. Calgary has lost more movie theatres than most of us could name, and the marquees went fast.
Good news. Somebody already drew the map. The Calgary Atlas Project at the University of Calgary’s Calgary Institute for the Humanities put together Calgary Goes to the Movies, a historical guide to the places this city has watched films, with an illustration by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby.
A scrap as much as a story
What we love most is how the guide tells it. Local entrepreneurs tried to make movies that spoke to local audiences. Theatre chains moved in and everybody scrapped for control. Once distant corporate offices were running the commercial screens, new venues and groups popped up to look after local filmmakers and audiences.
Calgary pushed back. Very on brand.
Some of the old buildings are still standing
A few made it. The Palace Theatre is one, and its Alberta Register of Historic Places entry tells you why it counts. The GRAND has worn several hats since 1912 too.
Open the map and pick a lost theatre, then go stand on the spot and picture the line out the door. Jeffrey Goffin’s article in Theatre Research in Canada is there if you want to read further, and our look at Calgary’s lost cinemas as local businesses picks the story up at the ticket window.
Quick answers
Calgary Goes to the Movies is a historical guide to the places Calgary has watched films. The Calgary Atlas Project at the University of Calgary’s Calgary Institute for the Humanities put it together, with an illustration by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby. It maps the movie houses the city lost.
A few old buildings made it. The Palace Theatre is one, and its Alberta Register of Historic Places entry tells you why it counts. The GRAND has also worn several hats since 1912. Most of the other lost movie houses are gone, which is why the map matters.
Jeffrey Goffin’s article in Theatre Research in Canada is there if you want to read further. Our look at Calgary’s lost cinemas as local businesses picks the story up at the ticket window, and the Atlas Project map shows where each lost theatre stood.
Sources: Calgary Institute for the Humanities (Calgary Atlas Project), Alberta Register of Historic Places, Theatre Research in Canada.
More from the archive: Calgary Still Has a Palace From Canada’s Biggest Cinema Family and Calgary Buildings With More Careers Than Most Actors.
