Description of Historic Place

The Empress Theatre is a two-storey brick building constructed in 1919, and located at 285-287 Bernard Avenue in Kelowna's downtown area.

Heritage Value

The primary heritage value of the Empress Theatre is derived from its long-standing use as Kelowna's movie theatre during the community's formative years. As the only movie theatre in town, the Empress Theatre was Kelowna's centre of entertainment for four decades. The original owner was David Lloyd-Jones, a sawmill operator who had been in the valley since 1880.

Built in 1919, it replaced the makeshift movie theatre that had been operating in the old Lequime store since the Opera House in the Raymer Block burned down in 1916. The grand opening of the new Empress Theatre was on November 29, 1919, and featured a triple bill: Mickey, starring Mabel Normand; Out of the Fog, starring the Great Nazimova; and Hearts of the World, starring the Gish sisters.

By the 1930s the Empress Theatre was part of the Famous Players chain. The theatre closed in the 1950s, as Famous Players replaced it with the Paramount Theatre, further west on Bernard Avenue. Subsequent uses also have value as community facilities. In 1959 the building was remodeled and served as temporary offices for several banks as their premises were either built or renovated. About 1970 the Capital News newspaper (founded in 1930) moved here from a location further up Bernard Avenue, and stayed until the 1990s, when it moved to the industrial area on Enterprise Way. The building is now occupied by the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Thrift Store.

The building also has value for being representative of the two-storey brick commercial buildings that were erected during this period. It was constructed by A.C. Bennett, a building contractor who had arrived in Kelowna in 1910. His son, Wally C. Bennett, would become Mayor of Kelowna in the 1970s. The brick has been covered with a stucco finish, and is now visible only in the facade trim and on the side elevation.

Source: City of Kelowna, Planning Department, File No. 6800-02

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Empress Theatre include:
- Good example of the commercial style, with unusual stepped/notched brick-trimmed parapet
- Second-floor stucco finish, with brick trim, evidence of the original brick facade with stucco renovation overlay
- Original red brick trim used for parapet cap, around windows, and between floors
- Brick-trimmed date panel below parapet
- Load-bearing ground floor columns allow for continuous glass storefront