Frank Devine, president of the Monarch 1911 Society, poses outside the theatre as the non-profit begins renovations to restore and preserve one of Canada's oldest standing movie theatres. Devine is seen in front of a truck load of trash the society is removing.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
Two weeks ago the city handed over the keys of downtown’s historic 112-year-old movie theatre to the Monarch 1911 Society.
And the new owners are planning to bring the theatre back to life.
Monarch 1911 Society is a non-profit formed more than a year ago by members of all four local Rotary Clubs with only one interest, preserving the Monarch Theatre – one of Canada’s oldest standing movie theatres.
Recently the society was able to raise $100,000 to purchase the historic building that was previously owned by the city, which assumed ownership in 2021 following its closure.
It was revealed during a committee meeting Monday the Monarch 1911 Society intended to preserve its history and re-open the theatre to the public.
“That group is intently interested in the maintenance on the facility from a protection standpoint,” managing director of public services Brian Stauth said during committee Monday. “Things like the roof, those kinds of things that are very much part of making sure that historical site continues to evolve.”
“It’s a great partnership and we couldn’t have imagined a better relationship with the new owners and the relationship with the community to preserve the history of that beautiful building,” Coun. Robert Dumanowski added.
The theatre is a designated heritage property and protected as a Municipal Historic Resource. It’s also listed on the Alberta Register of Historic Places.
“What we want to do is preserve the building, bring it back to its grandeur of the 1940s and make it a central focal point in Medicine Hat,” says Frank Devine, president of the Monarch 1911 Society.
But instead of running silent movies from the past, the society plans to run affordable afternoon matinees, host small groups and one-person shows like musical acts or comedians.
It will also offer the space free of charge to other non-profit and community-support groups in the city.
Since the acquisition of the theatre two weeks ago, the Monarch 1911 Society has secured a business licence for the theatre and passed a fire inspection.
Members of the society began Tuesday sorting through more than a century’s worth of items, documents, movie props and trash left behind after the theatre closed.
“There’s 112 years of stuff that everybody has stored in the basement that we are going through to archive what we do need and junk what we don’t need,” says Devine.
The basement is full of historic clutter. Piles and mounds of old movie reels, projectors, movie props, wardrobe accessories and documents need to be sorted, donated and documented before restoration work can begin.
Devine says any artifacts or documents they find with potential historical value will be sorted and donated to the Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District.
“We will get them to look at the stuff see if there’s any historical value … We’ll have somebody go through it and look at it and take it from there,” says Devine.
“All projectors, movie reels, (it’s) endless the amount of stuff that’s in this basement.”
Devine recalls visiting the theatre in the 60s and 70s as a child and later a teenager.
“I put a lot of miles driving around this block back in the day, as everybody my age did,” jokes Devine.
He says many other members of the Monarch 1911 Society have found memories of the theatre from their past.
The society says the building is in great shape considering its age. Recently the theatre has gone through both a mechanical and electrical update.
The first major project will be to complete repairs to the roof. The society estimates repairs could cost more than $150,000.
The theatre will also need to undergo cosmetic work and small repairs before the society it ready to open its doors.
The Monarch 1911 Society is currently negotiating to find an operator to run the theatre.
Members expect to have restorations complete and the theatres doors open to the public next year.
Devine says it will open by premiering “Your Cinema Needs You,” a documentary about the history of the Monarch Theatre, produced by local filmmaker Luke Fandrich.
And with help from the Historical Society of Medicine Hat and District, the Monarch 1911 Society hopes to discover historical evidence that proves the Monarch Theatre is, in fact, Canada’s oldest standing movie theatre and a treasure to the city.
