VENUE
Pantages Theatre, the Second
1917—1967
20 West Hastings StreetThe Second Pantages Theatre was part of the vaudeville empire of Alexander Pantages, a Greek adventurer and entrepreneur drawn to North America by the allure of the Klondike Gold Rush. Having decided that the real mother lode was to be found in show business, Pantages began setting up theatres along the Pacific Coast, eventually establishing the "largest privately owned vaudeville circuit in the world" ("B. Marcus").
Of the seventy theatres that made up the circuit, the Second Pantages Theatre was considered to be "the most richly embellished and efficient theatre of the Pantages chain" (Miriam Sutermeister, qtd. in "B. Marcus"). The plans for the venue were devised by architect B. Marcus Priteca, who would go on to design Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre. Although construction began in 1914, completion of the project was delayed until 1917 due to a wartime materials shortage.
Following the end of vaudeville, the venue became a movie house, operating as the Majestic, the Beacon, and then the Odeon Hastings. Live bands were brought in to provide entertainment between screenings, prompting local musician Al Neil to skip school during the mid-1930s in order to attend afternoon performances.
The theatre was razed in 1967 to make space for a parking lot, "...igniting public support for the preservation of the Orpheum" ("The Pantages").
Of the seventy theatres that made up the circuit, the Second Pantages Theatre was considered to be "the most richly embellished and efficient theatre of the Pantages chain" (Miriam Sutermeister, qtd. in "B. Marcus"). The plans for the venue were devised by architect B. Marcus Priteca, who would go on to design Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre. Although construction began in 1914, completion of the project was delayed until 1917 due to a wartime materials shortage.
Following the end of vaudeville, the venue became a movie house, operating as the Majestic, the Beacon, and then the Odeon Hastings. Live bands were brought in to provide entertainment between screenings, prompting local musician Al Neil to skip school during the mid-1930s in order to attend afternoon performances.
The theatre was razed in 1967 to make space for a parking lot, "...igniting public support for the preservation of the Orpheum" ("The Pantages").
PHOTO GALLERY
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Davis, Chuck. "B. Marcus Priteca." The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. Home page. 18 Jan 2008. http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/orpheum2.htmDavis, Chuck. "The Pantages in Vancouver." The History of Metropolitan Vancouver. Home page. 18 Jan 2008. http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/archives_pantages.htm
Neil, Al. Personal Interview with Eric Metcalfe. Vancouver, BC. 16 July 2005.
