Physical/Design Values. The theatre’s physical/design values are reflected in its principal façade, which must be conserved in its entirety. The theatre façade was designed primarily in the Spanish Revival Style which reached City of Kingston By-Law Number 2021-0XX its apex in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Stylistic elements include gentle pent roofs with red Spanish tiles, smooth stucco walls, arched fenestrations with decorated reveals extending through two floors, decorated frieze bands, and stylized brackets with heraldic figures such as medallions or lions. There are also stylistic elements from the Mission Style, which was associated with Spanish Revival and slightly predated it in terms of popularity. This includes the cut stone stepped masonry parapets in the gables which were a feature of the building prior to a circa 1967‐73 alteration. Although a prominent feature of Spanish Revival, the use of red tile roofing was also removed in later renovations. The theatre is a restrained or conservative expression of the escapist architecture that went hand‐in‐hand with the escapism of the silver screen. The entrance façade being the most visible element was adorned with eclectic elements from an assortment of architectural styles. The mixing of architectural styles with exotic or eclectic elements to create a restrained expression of architectural excess was typical of theatre design in the first quarter of the 20th Century. The well‐lit marquee and canopy extending out over the street provided a visual focal point on the street and provided the theatre patron with a sense of entering another world inhabited by the glamour of the movie stars featured in the films. The entrance alcove open to the street allowed patrons to gather out of the elements prior to entering the theatre. The theatre was described as being of ‘fireproof construction’ consisting of steel, reinforced concrete, stone and structural terra‐cotta tiles, a suspended roof on steel trusses, and brick. Feature materials included coursed limestone in the stepped xxxxx parapets, Spanish roof tiles, and applied appliqué ornaments which were widely available at that time from a number of architectural supply houses for the adornment of theatres. The adornment was often terracotta ‐ a fired clay product that was easily formed and cast in intricate detail. The circa 1967‐73 alterations and additions employed fire‐proof materials and construction methods which included steel, reinforced concrete, and concrete block with a b...
