The Patricia Theatre
History beyond the screen
By Angie Davey
Today, just down the street in Powell River, the romance of the silver screen is now showing at the Patricia Theatre.
Established in 1913, the Patricia is the longest running movie theatre business in Canada and the oldest cinema and vaudeville building in Western Canada. It is located in the Townsite, the original settlement of the pulp and paper Powell River Company.
Initially a temporary structure, the Patricia relocated up a block to its current site in 1928. From the sidewalk, the nurtured gardens complement the Arts & Crafts Spanish Revival style utilized by architect Henry Holdsby Simmonds. Upon entering the classic-style foyer, patrons are enveloped in movie magic and often tempted by home-baked treats at the concession.
In the main theatre, atmospheric murals of peacocks in West Coast landscapes have been re-created using archival photos after the original Girvan Studios artworks were painted over in the 1960s. The Patricia has near-perfect acoustics, and the vintage seats, largely salvaged from the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver, are perfectly matched to the slope of the theatre's floor.
Backstage, the dressing rooms from the vaudeville days are still there, as is the ghost who doesn't approve of men in areas once reserved for actresses.
Mother and son Ann and Brian Nelson are the fourth set of owners to operate the Patricia and they have converted the former doctors' and lawyers' offices upstairs to living quarters for Ann.
Gone may be the custom-built Robert Morton pipe organ, but in its place is a Baldwin Cinema II, which organist Jim Dickson sometimes plays before the show.
A community-wide contest named the theatre after Princess Patricia of Connaught, Queen Victoria's granddaughter. The theatre's murals are a tribute to Her Royal Highness, with a nod to John Eberson, the architect of countless picture palaces in the United States as well as France, Venezuela, Mexico and Australia, and whose trademark was the peacock.
The Patricia's peacocks stare imperiously down at audiences until the house lights dim for the feature presentation. Up close, it's clear each brushstroke has been made with exacting care and from afar, the murals speak of an elegant time when a night out to see a picture show was a special event.
Where once screen legends John Barrymore and Dolores Costello stopped by, first-run movies, live music, burlesque shows and weddings continue to add to a building history, 364 days a year.
