I can still remember the last film I saw before the Showcase Grand was shuttered. It was an impressive old theatre, housed in the Lougheed Building, and for a film lover like myself, the steep stadium seating, historic significance and impressive screen made it the best movie venue in the city to watch Steven Spielberg’s World War II epic, Saving Private Ryan.

But all things must come to an end, and in 1999, the theatre closed it doors.

For some time, it looked like that might be the final curtain for the once illustrious theatre.

When it originally opened in 1912, The Sherman Grand (as it was then known) was the largest theatre in Western Canada, with its stage hosting the likes of George Burns and Gracie Allen, Fred Astaire and the Marx Brothers during the heyday of vaudeville.

Constructed at a cost of over $500,000, the Sherman’s original owner was Senator James Lougheed, grandfather of former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed, and one of the formative figures in Calgary history.

A classic commercial design, The Sherman featured private boxes, velvet curtains, brass rails and all the other trappings that one would expect during the glory days of live theatre.

Ticket prices for the opening night performance of Jerome K. Jerome’s The Passing of the Third Floor Back ranged between $1 and $5.

But when that final reel came off the projector at the Showcase Grand more than 80 years later, the building had already been slated for demolition.

Neglect and fire had left the once proud theatre in shambles, and the owner was prepared to demolish all that Medicine Hat brick and sandstone and put up a shiny new office tower.

However, that was not to be the last act in the tale.

After several makeovers, which had taken the space from its vaudevillian origins to several different incarnations as a cinema and even a brief stint as a golf facility, the theatre was reborn as The Grand, the luxurious new performing space for Theatre Junction.

The theatre reopened in 2006 after a $12 million renovation, bringing it back to its roots as a venue for live entertainment.

“We wanted to do a mix of the old and the new, and to build a contemporary theatre within a historic space,” says Carol Armes, Theatre Junction’s general manager.

Since its reopening, The Grand has hosted several prominent international theatre, music, and dance acts, including composer Philip Glass as part of the most recent High Performance Rodeo festival.

In addition to its sheer size (30,000+ sq. ft.), much of the theatre’s allure comes from the reminders of its history, as one of the key elements in the renovation process involved being able to retain as much of the theatre’s original design as possible, while still allowing for a rather radical change in operation.

“We approached it almost like an architectural ruin,” says Armes.

“We wanted to preserve what we found, but we also wanted to mix it with the new contemporary theatre which matched our mandate.”

Some of the elements that still remain at the old theatre include the original brick wall in the main room, portions of the original unrestored ceiling, and even the old projection booth from the Showcase Grand days.

An old beam serves as the kickplate at The Grand’s stylish bar, and the walls of the luxurious Velvet Lounge, which is located in the lobby have been constructed using the theatre’s old catwalks.

The terrazzo tile floor, which is visible in the entryway, was installed during the 1930s, when the theatre was under the ownership of the Barron family, who had put much of the family jewelry up as collateral to lease the theatre.

The family had owned several Calgary theatres, including The Grand and The Uptown, before selling them off to the Odeon corporation in 1969.

Perhaps the most fitting reminder, considering the long and storied history of the theatre, is the old stage exit door, where the tile still marks the spot where countless performers from days gone by ducked out to grab a coffee or a bite to eat before the next show commenced.

All of this effort has led to space that is on the forefront of the Calgary arts scene, both in terms of design and versatility, bringing The Grand full circle as a venue for the performing arts.

Theatre Junction will be kicking off its third season at the Grand this fall, with the theatre also serving as a rental space for other events from community groups like One Yellow Rabbit and Springboard.

Cody Stuart is a Calgary Real Estate News reporter.