ACO Toronto - Revue Cinema

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Revue Cinema

LAST UPDATE: December 19 2022 login to edit this building

The Revue in October 2021. (Photo credit: Alessandro Tersigni.)

Façade of the Revue Theatre in 2013. (Image courtesy of Dog Taylor, Historic Toronto.)

The Revue in 2016. (Image courtesy of Jessica Allen.)

Image courtesy of Flooon, Flickr.

Image courtesy of Christina Wozniak.

Revue Cinema Marquee Collapses on February 17, 2007. (Image courtesy of Marc Lostracco, Torontoist.)

Roncesvalles Avenue #1 by David Crighton, Toronto Wall Art, detail of Revue Cinema.

Roncesvalles Avenue #2 by David Crighton, Toronto Wall Art, detail of Revue Cinema.

Image via BlogTO.

Image via Torontoist.

Revue Cinema in 2005 (Image courtesy of Sookie, Flickr.)

Revue Cinema. (Courtesy of Haley Cullingham.)

Image courtesy of the Archives of Ontario.

R. J. Skinner at the Revue Cinema in 2010. (Image by Joel Yum, The Image.)

Image via BlogTO.

Image courtesy of the Revue Cinema.

Image courtesy of My Parkdale Blog.

The auditorium in May 2013. (Image courtesy of Doug Taylor, Historic Toronto.)

The Revue snack bar in 2012. (Photo by Ellen Moorhouse, Toronto Star.)

Image via Tripadvisor.

The Revue Theatre between 1935 and 1937. (Image courtesy of the City of Toronto Archives.)

Revue Theatre, Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, in June 2003. (Image by David Kaufman.)

The Revue pediment in October 2021. (Photo credit: Alessandro Tersigni.)

(Photo credit: Alessandro Tersigni.)

BUILDING INFORMATION

Name & Location:

Revue Cinema
400 Roncesvalles Avenue
Toronto
High Park-Swansea

Owner:

Danny and Letty Mullin

First Owner:

Jacob Smith

Occupant:

Revue Cinema

First Occupant:

Revue Cinema

Year Completed:

1912

OTHER IDENTIFICATION

Alternate Name:

Revue Theatre

Notes:

Built in 1912 by the Suburban Amusement Company, the Revue is one of Toronto's oldest surviving theatres and cinemas. It was originally dubbed a "theatorium" and offered stage space as well as a movable projection screen. It began showing films with sound at the close of the 1920s. In the mid-1930s, the local cinema-specializing architects Abraham Sprachman and Harold Kaplan retrofit the theatre's interior with Art Deco stylizations.

After long stretches as both a first-run and repertory cinema, the Revue almost closed for good in 2007 when its marquee collapsed under the weight of a heavy snowfall. Thanks to the formation and fundraising efforts of the Revue Film Society, the cinema reopened that same year as a not-for-profit enterprise and continues to operate today. The word "revue" is a 19th-century loan from French. It's related to "revoir", which literally means to see again.

(Research and text by Alessandro Tersigni.)

Companies:

The following companies are associated with this building

Architect - Kaplan & Sprachman <-- More buildings by this architect.
General contractor - Suburban Amusement Company Ltd.

Building Type:

Low-rise

Current Use:

Cultural , Theatre

Heritage Status:

Designated under Part IV Ontario Heritage Act

Additions:

Year	Architect	Builder	Style
1936	Kaplan & Sprachman		Art deco

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Revue Cinema

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