Roxy Theatre - Mill Street
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The Gregory Theatre
The Gregory Theatre was constructed by local builder J.B. Mackenzie for Russell Gregory and opened on December 19, 1928. The longitudinal section of the original architectural drawings for the theatre shows the lobby with apartments on the upper floors, and auditorium and stage at the rear. The cross-section shows the original lobby configuration with detailed window and door openings (no longer extant). The Gregory Theatre featured Georgetown’s first “talking movies” and, in addition to serving as a cinema, was also used for live theatre and music events, as well as meetings. The Gregory also advertised commercial space within the theatre in the local paper, noting that it had “’[t]wo choice stores, steam heated and with all modern conveniences” in the May 8, 1929 edition of The Georgetown Herald. His tenants included the offices of E.A. Benham & Son, Real Estate, and Insurance, which advertised in the local paper in 1930. The second floor of the building houses two residential apartment units.
In 1947, Gregory sold the theatre to Odeon Theatres of Canada, which announced new running times and programming in the September 24th edition of The Georgetown Herald the same year. The announcement also says that improvements to the sound and projection equipment would be ongoing, and that the theatre name would be changed to “Roxy”, as with many other Odeon theatres throughout the country. Russell L. Gregory died in 1958 following a long illness.
On April 26, 1958, a fire broke out in the theatre, believed to be caused by firecrackers. A fire proofing screen saved the equipment in the projection room; however, the theatre roof, screen, stage, curtains, and seats were damaged. The theatre’s tenants at the time, Ernie’s Radio appliance store and the M.E. Manderson law office, were evacuated, as well as the tenants in the building’s apartments upstairs. The damage to the building was estimated at $30,000. The building was later renovated by the original builders; however, the theatre did not reopen.
The Gregory Theatre was constructed by local builder J.B. Mackenzie for Russell Gregory and opened on December 19, 1928. The longitudinal section of the original architectural drawings for the theatre shows the lobby with apartments on the upper floors, and auditorium and stage at the rear. The cross-section shows the original lobby configuration with detailed window and door openings (no longer extant). The Gregory Theatre featured Georgetown’s first “talking movies” and, in addition to serving as a cinema, was also used for live theatre and music events, as well as meetings. The Gregory also advertised commercial space within the theatre in the local paper, noting that it had “’[t]wo choice stores, steam heated and with all modern conveniences” in the May 8, 1929 edition of The Georgetown Herald. His tenants included the offices of E.A. Benham & Son, Real Estate, and Insurance, which advertised in the local paper in 1930. The second floor of the building houses two residential apartment units.
In 1947, Gregory sold the theatre to Odeon Theatres of Canada, which announced new running times and programming in the September 24th edition of The Georgetown Herald the same year. The announcement also says that improvements to the sound and projection equipment would be ongoing, and that the theatre name would be changed to “Roxy”, as with many other Odeon theatres throughout the country. Russell L. Gregory died in 1958 following a long illness.
On April 26, 1958, a fire broke out in the theatre, believed to be caused by firecrackers. A fire proofing screen saved the equipment in the projection room; however, the theatre roof, screen, stage, curtains, and seats were damaged. The theatre’s tenants at the time, Ernie’s Radio appliance store and the M.E. Manderson law office, were evacuated, as well as the tenants in the building’s apartments upstairs. The damage to the building was estimated at $30,000. The building was later renovated by the original builders; however, the theatre did not reopen.
