Avenue Theatre
Victoria's first cinema was located in Oak Bay

courtesy of Oak Bay Archives
AVENUE THEATRE — circa 1913
2013 Oak Bay Avenue


The Avenue Theatre, built in 1913, was the first theatre in Victoria built specifically for the viewing of motion pictures.
The movie business failed with the onset of the Depression and the building was gutted and used for warehousing. In 1943 it was converted to an apartment block, and is still standing at 2013 Oak Bay Avenue.


PHOTOGRAPHS

Avenue Theatre Building, c 2005

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ARTIFACTS

Photocopy of Newspaper Ad
1913
courtesy of Ron Spence

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PROGRAMS, ADS. ARTICLES, ETC
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RECOLLECTIONS

Recollections may be abridged for length and/or clarity

My wife’s parents had a home built for them in 1913, in what is now Roslyn road, and took up residence in the same year. She recalls attending the theatre in 1913, and being carried home on her father’s shoulders.
The theatre was exclusively a motion picture theatre at that time. They showed a feature film and a serial, which was generally a thriller, and ended each showing at the most exciting part. “Continued next week” were the final words.
The bill of fare consisted of a good western, featuring such cowboy artists as William S Hart, Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix, who were the John Waynes of the Hollywood producers.
The serials generally consisted of such offerings as The Iron Claw, The Perils of Pauline, and Fu Manchu — all real heart stoppers. These shows ran for many years, certainly up to the mid twenties.
At times the theatre was hired by a light opera company for its live productions. In the mid twenties, I recall attending a light opera named Ermine, and being highly excited when I went backstage and mingled with members of the cast.
— John Adams (courtesy of The Oak Bay Star)


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