Downtown venue gets new name

Soon to be known as Coors Event Centre, the former O’brians is also being renovated

A 105-year-old building in the heart of Saskatoon’s downtown is getting another facelift.

As of Sept. 1, the former O’brians Event Centre will be the Coors Event Centre, and according to general manager Dana Pihach is getting around $100,000 worth of exterior and interior renovations over the coming weeks.

“This place has been a music venue for almost a decade now. It had a certain reputation and stuck to one genre of events. (The goal)

was to refresh it, revamp it, bring it back to life,” Pihach said.

“We’re doing the whole face of the building … The (interior) renovations are going to happen throughout the fall. We’re going to be looping the balcony around on the other side, adding VIP booths,” she added

Built in 1913 as the Victoria Theatre, the storied venue at 241 Second Avenue North has carried many names over the years, including the Tivoli Theatre, the Paradise and the Odeon Theatre.

Pihach said the decision to rename it again came when the current naming agreement reached its natural end, and Molson Coors Canada — which already had a beer deal — seemed like a good fit.

Besides the planned renovations, the 1,000-capacity venue also aims to do more weddings and corporate events, as well as bring in a more diverse range of concerts, she said.

The name change is effective Sept. 1, and the first show — featuring the heavy metal band Mastodon, from Atlanta, Georgia — is scheduled for Sept. 4.

LIAM RICHARDS Workers will soon replace the O’brians name with Coors Event Centre. Built in 1913 and known by a number of names over the past century, the plan is to broaden its reputation beyond being a concert hall.