Queen West venue the Great Hall will officially relaunch on September 21 after two years of renovation.
After Marioca Properties took ownership of the 126-year-old building at Queen and Dovercourt, Triangle Developments began a $3.5-$4 million overhaul to fix accessibility and capacity issues and restore its Victorian-era architectural details.
Port Perry-based company Adamson installed a new sound system and lighting rigs with moving fixtures in both the Main Hall and the downstairs venue formerly known as the Black Box. (A new name will be announced next month.) The builders have added more exits and washrooms, expanding the capacity from the 200s to roughly 500 people in the Main Hall and 420 in the Black Box.
An elevator has been installed to carry both patrons and equipment from street level to both rooms.
“There was a time when someone booking a show would go, ‘Oh my god, I’m gonna play on this mediocre sound system with a few LED lights,’” says Lina Beaudin, head of business development and programming at the Great Hall. “They would have to bring in all this equipment to make a show amazing. Now it’s ‘Come on in and play.’”
Beaudin hopes the upgrade will attract a wider array of acts. In addition to working with big outside promoters like Live Nation and hosting indie rock events such as Long Winter, she wants to diversify programming with world-music events, bistro-style jazz shows and intimate, multi-night concerts with higher-priced acts that usually play larger venues.
“This venue can host a lot more than indie rock,” she explains. “The goal is also to foster the community that we have and continue doing events like Long Winter. There was a time when a lot of parties were happening here, like Loving in the Name Of. We can bring those back because our capacity is where it needs to be.”
On September 21, the Great Hall will receive heritage status from Heritage Canada as well as a legacy plaque in honour of 1907 Boston Marathon winner Tom Longboat. The First Nations long-distance runner trained in the building when it was the original West End YMCA. The track he used on the lower level was uncovered during the restoration and will serve as a balcony.
A day later, the venue will host an invite-only event to showcase the reno and new audio/visual set-up to industry and media. Upcoming public concerts booked at the Great Hall include New York no wavers James Chance & The Contortions on September 7 and 8, soul/funk singer Selah Sue on September 12, the inaugural Forms Festival featuring Lauren Halo and Arcade Fire’s Jeremy Gara on September 28 and pianist Jean-Michel Blais on November 19.
During the renovation, Triangle also installed a new HVAC system, stripped and repaired the staircase, replaced the glass entrance doors on Queen Street, added a catering service area, restored the original Victorian metal radiators and built a gourmet presentation kitchen in the Drawing Room, among many other changes.
kevinr@nowtoronto.com | @kevinritchie
