THE ELGIN AND WINTER GARDEN THEATRE

RESTORATION PROJECT

Toronto, Canada

Janis Barlow acted as Project Manager and Theatre Consultant to oversee planning, design, administration, construction, public relations and fund raising for this $30 million project. Approximately 65,000 square feet of supplementary public, service and backstage facilities were incorporated into the restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres.

The Elgin and Winter Garden were built in 1913 as the Canadian flagship for the Loew's chain of vaudeville and photo play houses. The complex is unique in Canada in that it contains two complete theatres, built one above the other. It was inspired by a short-lived experiment with double-decker theatres in New York in the early 1900s. The upper theatre, the Winter Garden, is now the only historic roof garden theatre remaining intact and operating in the world.

A National Historic Site, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre is the largest heritage theatre restoration ever undertaken in Canada. The quality of the restoration and adaptive reuse has been recognized nationally and internationally. The project was a government initiative and the building is owned by the Ontario Heritage Foundation and operated as a rental facility.

For more information on the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, visit the Ontario Heritage Foundation's web site at: www.heritagefdn.on.ca

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