Pantages Theatre plans crumble

After three years of negotiations and recent positive announcements regarding the restoration of the Pantages Theatre at 152 East Hastings Street, Peter Fairchild, chair of the Pantages Theatre Arts Society has sent out a letter begging for support after negotiations between the theatre's owner-developer Marc Williams and the City of Vancouver fell apart.

There is now a "For Sale" sign parked in front of the theatre, and Fairchild says the theatre is expected to be destroyed.

The Pantages was to be the home of City Opera Vancouver, among other companies. It was hoped that the 2010 premiere of a new opera, Pauline, by composer Christos Hatzis and a libretto by Margaret Atwood, would take place in the restored theatre.

Here is Fairchild's letter in full:

 

Dear Friends,

After 38 months working together to restore the Pantages Theatre, I have to report some unfortunate news. The last round of negotiations between the owner of the theatre and the City of Vancouver did not achieve the results we had hoped.

After spending considerable money to hold and maintain the building and adjoining properties (necessary for a fully-functioning and modern theatre), the owner has been forced to put all of the properties up for sale. The FOR SALE signs are now posted. We presume this irreplaceable heritage and community structure will be destroyed.

While this decision is unfortunate in terms of what we have been attempting to achieve over the countless meetings we have held, I respect the owner's decision.

My view is that City Council has rejected an enormous opportunity to help redevelop the DTES in a manner consistent with its own economic and social policies and strategies. However, since the discussion was held at an in-camera council meeting, I do not know the reasons for its decision.

That said, we urgently ask you to register your support for the Pantages Project. The simplest way is an e-mail to: mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca (We would be grateful for a cc of yours to cb0bc@yahoo.com).

We have been told that there is a civic election on November 15.

You might want to note that the Pantages Project is a unique opportunity to do something extraordinary at Hastings and Main, for the people of Vancouver, and for heritage and the arts. There is—literally—nothing else like it in the City. And never will be again.

As you know, this century old theatre seats 650, offers a glorious acoustic, now has a Chinatown entrance at 127 East Pender, would have provided new lobbies and public amenities, an art gallery, and so much more.

In the last three years, over 2,000 people have been shown its wonders and promise. They saw and heard what was possible.

The Pantages Project would also have included 130+ units of housing next door. So much good might have been done.

Permit me to quote the owner: “We tried for over three years to find a financially viable proposal that would satisfy the many interests at stake. Ultimately, we could not. The Pantages was a very powerful idea.The theatre, the housing, the retail businesses—the combination was extraordinary. I was proud to have been a part of it. I am so disappointed we could not make it work.”

If we have any chance to reverse the City’s decision, it will now ONLY happen with the strongest support you can offer. TODAY. We’ve tried everything else.

Thank you for considering this,

Peter Fairchild
Chair, Pantages Theatre Arts Society

 

Comments

1 Comments

Matthew Burrows

Oct 22, 2008 at 3:02pm

The Pantages Theatre is the oldest remaining Pantages theatre in North America and one of the oldest purpose-built vaudeville theatre interiors in Canada.
In 2004, Heritage Vancouver ranked the theatre in fourth place in its <a href="http://www.heritagevancouver.org/topten/2004/topten2004_04.html" target="_blank">top 10 endangered sites list</a>. It was the third time in total that the theatre with its “modest red-brick facade” had the dubious distinction of making that list.