The WestdaleDigital Doors Open Hamilton Region

  • In-person
  • Digital Doors Open
  • Food vendors
  • Full wheelchair access
  • Self-guided tours available
  • Washrooms
  • Photography allowed
  • Rental opportunities
  • Videos
The Westdale

This was Hamilton’s first theatre built expressly to show “talkies” — motion pictures with sound. The beautiful art deco building was fully restored in 2017 by the Westdale Cinema Group and has become a cinematic, cultural and economic hub. The excellent film series Hamilton Originals will be shown on Saturday, while the site will be open for tours on Sunday.

The art deco-style Westdale Theatre was built in 1935 as the first cinema in Hamilton equipped to show “talkies” — motion pictures with sound. It is the architectural centrepiece of North Oval in Westdale Village, Hamilton's first garden-city suburb, and one of the earliest examples in Canada. The distinctive oval-shaped commercial core is surrounded by curved streets with arts and crafts- and modern-style houses. In 2016, this local landmark was destined to be sold to developers, but a group of arts and culture-minded Hamiltonians decided to save it and revitalize it as a cinematic, artistic and community arts hub. After extensive renovations, The Westdale was reborn as a stunningly refurbished art deco single-screen state-of-the-art multidisciplinary arts presentation space. You can still see the original marquee letters mounted inside. As part of Digital Doors Open, check out their extensive selection of YouTube videos to learn more.

Contact info

1014 King Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
E-mail: info@thewestdale.ca
https://www.thewestdale.ca

Architecture

Year built: 1935
Building type:Theatre
Architect: Unknown
Architectural style:Art deco

Dates/hours open

May 05, 10:00am - May 05, 04:00pm

Sunday only: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.