Monarch Theatre

Monarch Theatre. Constructed in 1911. , An icon of Medicine Hat’s entertainment history, the Monarch Theatre is a two-storey Streamline Moderne-style building. Connected to buildings of similar scale and vintage, it is distinctive for its boxed massing, smooth stucco surfaces, and vertical towers flanking a recessed entry. , The Monarch Theatre, originally designed in the elegant Beaux Arts style by William T. Williams as a motion picture theatre and amusement house, was the first of its kind in all of Canada. The 560-seat theatre opened December 21, 1911, premiering a Mutt and Jeff film. In 1935, the front elevation was converted to its current style. Renovation and expansion of the auditorium into the adjacent billiards room and cigar shop occurred in 1941 and the seating capacity increased to 670. , The Monarch Theatre is highly valued, not only for its Streamline Moderne-style exterior elements and elegant Art Deco interior features, but also as an example of community-driven historic preservation. Through the collective effort of the City of Medicine Hat and concerned citizens, the theatre was purchased in 2009 by the City Centre Development Agency after its temporary closure in 2007. That same year, the Friends of the Monarch Society was formed whose principal role has been the conservation, interpretation and promotion of this unique historic resource. , The City of Medicine Hat designated the Monarch Theatre as a Municipal Historic Resource on September 6, 2015.