The Grand (Calgary)
Encyclopedia
The Grand is a "culturehouse" in Calgary
, Canada
, offering contemporary performing arts in a historic theatre building.
. It was built as a multi-purpose commercial building, accommodating retail stores, offices, living quarters and on the ground floor, the Sherman Grand Theatre. The Grand was the biggest and best theatre in the Pacific Northwest attracting stars like Sarah Bernhardt
, Fred Astaire
, Ethel Barrymore
, the Marx Brothers
, George Burns
, Arthur Rubinstein
, and Paul Robeson
, among others. It was also known as The Sherman Grand Opera House.
The Grand was also the centre of Calgary's social and political life and the venue for political rallies, debates and speaking engagements. Both the Liberal
and Conservative
Parties held rallies here, as well as speakers such as Nellie McClung
of the "Famous Five
", Prime Minister Robert Borden
, and Premier William Aberhart
.
The original theatre had 1,350 seats upholstered in green leather with 810 on the main floor and 540 in the gallery. The theatre was very modern for its time – all 15 of the changing rooms below the stage had hot and cold water as well as electric lighting. The theatre was even equipped with an automatic sprinkler
system. In 1957 with the opening of The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, The Grand became primarily a movie house
, an incarnation that lasted for almost 50 years.
The Flanagan Theatre is a multi-form space that can be configured into eight different seating layouts with a capacity of up to 440 people. The theatre can be used for corporate and private events, all of which contribute to the financial sustainability of Theatre Junction at The Grand.
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, offering contemporary performing arts in a historic theatre building.
History
The Grand is part of the Lougheed Block, which was built in 1912, when Calgary had a population of only 50,000. The architect was L. R. Wardrop, and it was owned by Lougheed and Taylor, a firm established by Senator Sir James Alexander Lougheed, KCMG, PCQueen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
. It was built as a multi-purpose commercial building, accommodating retail stores, offices, living quarters and on the ground floor, the Sherman Grand Theatre. The Grand was the biggest and best theatre in the Pacific Northwest attracting stars like Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
, Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
, the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
, George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
, Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
, and Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, among others. It was also known as The Sherman Grand Opera House.
The Grand was also the centre of Calgary's social and political life and the venue for political rallies, debates and speaking engagements. Both the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
Parties held rallies here, as well as speakers such as Nellie McClung
Nellie McClung
Nellie McClung, born Nellie Letitia Mooney , was a Canadian feminist, politician, and social activist. She was a part of the social and moral reform movements prevalent in Western Canada in the early 1900s...
of the "Famous Five
The Famous Five (Canada)
The Famous Five or The Valiant Five were five Canadian women who asked the Supreme Court of Canada to answer the question, "Does the word 'Persons' in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?" in the case Edwards v...
", Prime Minister Robert Borden
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
, and Premier William Aberhart
William Aberhart
William Aberhart , also known as Bible Bill for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh Premier of Alberta between 1935 and 1943. The Social Credit party believed the reason for the depression was that people did not have enough money to spend, so the government...
.
The original theatre had 1,350 seats upholstered in green leather with 810 on the main floor and 540 in the gallery. The theatre was very modern for its time – all 15 of the changing rooms below the stage had hot and cold water as well as electric lighting. The theatre was even equipped with an automatic sprinkler
Fire sprinkler
A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected...
system. In 1957 with the opening of The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, The Grand became primarily a movie house
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, an incarnation that lasted for almost 50 years.
The Grand now
In 2005, Theatre Junction Society raised $12 million to purchase The Grand and turn it into Calgary's culturehouse for contemporary live arts. Now, after nearly 50 years and several incarnations, Western Canada's oldest theatre, is once again home to theatre, dance, music and film.The Flanagan Theatre is a multi-form space that can be configured into eight different seating layouts with a capacity of up to 440 people. The theatre can be used for corporate and private events, all of which contribute to the financial sustainability of Theatre Junction at The Grand.