It’s curtains for legendary Uptown
It’s bad news for Calgary cinema buffs.
After more than eight months of inactivity, the Uptown Stage and Screen and Marquee Room is closing its doors for good, coowner Blake O’Brien said on Wednesday.
The announcement comes after a long feud with the building’s landlord, which resulted in management shutting down operations of the historic downtown theatre back in November.
But O’Brien said the decision to cease operations permanently was not related to the dispute with Calgary’s Strategic Group, which owns the historic Barron Building where the theatre is located, but because the theatre was no longer financially feasible.
O’Brien shut down the Uptown Nov. 6 over concerns that Strategic was not providing proper maintenance to heat the building. However, on Wednesday he had no comment on the dispute, except to say that all legal issues between Uptown management and Strategic have been resolved.
A news release instead blamed movie piracy and the popularity of Internet services such as Netflix as damaging the prospects of theatres that specialize in art house films.
Despite a spirited “Save the Uptown” online campaign from supporters, continuing the business just wasn’t practical, O’Brien said.
“We just decided that the prospects for reopening were not sufficiently compelling,” he told the Herald on Wednesday.
“Some of the quirkier programming was working well for us, but you can only play the room so many times.”
The Uptown Stage and Screen was built in 1951 and operated as the Uptown Theatre until 1988. Current management purchased the Barron Building in 1992 but sold it in 2007 and began leasing the theatre space. The Marquee Room — a live music venue — was opened that same year.
The landmark cinema has long been part of the cultural life of the city. Screenings for the Calgary International Film Festival and the Calgary Underground Film Festival had been held at the theatre in the past.
Recently, it hosted visits from filmmakers Kevin Smith and Crispin Glover and the 25th-anniversary screening of the locally shot BMX film Rad.
It was the site of the first Big Rock Eddies back in 1993 and presented musical acts such a Diana Krall, K’naan and the late Vic Chesnutt over the years.
Brenda Lieberman, director of The Calgary Underground Film Festival and program director of the Calgary International Film Festival, said the closure will leave a void in Calgary culture.
Uptown staff and management were dedicated to broadening the scope of cinema and other entertainment in the city, she said.
“These guys are passionate,” Lieberman said. “It was an all-exclusive event space. There’s not a lot of those places in the city that are equipped to do everything: live performance, bar, catering space, the large lobby. It’s an incredible space.”
The City of Calgary has already approved a permit to demolish the cinema’s old marquee. The original concrete canopy will remain.
Kathy Thompson, director of communications for Strategic Group, would not comment on the past dispute with Uptown management, but said a renovation plan is in the works that is “consistent with the Barron Building’s historic legacy and creating a true A-class redevelopment.”
“We are committed to ensuring that a significant part of Calgary’s architectural history regains its prominence,” she said.