Eglinton Theatre

Toronto’s Eglinton Theatre is one of the best surviving examples of the Art Deco style in Canadian theatre design. Opened in 1936, its towering sign, aerodynamic shapes, and colourful neon lights beckoned filmgoers into a sophisticated interior whose sleek curved lines and new synthetic materials suggested futuristic speed. Situated in the newly-developed suburban neighbourhood of Forest Hill, this building continued the mid-1920s trend of building luxury movie theatres in the suburbs of major Canadian cities.

Designed by Toronto architects Kaplan & Sprachman, the Eglinton was a departure from theatre-inspired aesthetic, instead incorporating the newest trends of architectural thought and practice. The flashy neon sign of the self-styled “Showplace of Toronto”, invited movie goers to its shining chrome box office. The marquee bore the names of movie stars and the studio’s latest film titles, offering the suspense, romance, and escape of the golden age of Hollywood. High above the neon lettering, atop the distinctive sign tower was a three-stage pylon crowned with a glowing neon ball, a beacon drawing people to modern motion-pictures.

Movie theatres in the 1930s were venues for some of the clearest expressions of Art Deco style. The Eglinton’s smooth uncluttered lines, sweeping across ceilings and down walls, evoked refinement and modernity. Aerodynamic shapes highlighted in neon light evoked notions of swift progress. Its zigzag, stepped, and overlapping roof was a hold-over from the earliest Art Deco, yet its classical statues of the nude female form offered the newest phase of the movement. Embracing the world of the machine, smooth synthetic materials paid tribute to the world of precise factory production. For moviegoers in Forest Hill, the doors of the Eglinton Theatre were portals to the world of modern design and the flickering stories on the big screen.