A relic of a time before Netflix, or even Cineplex Odeon, Etobicoke’s Westwood Theatre—just south of where Kipling, Dundas and Bloor meet in the former muncipality’s notorious “six points” intersection—has stood vacant since its closure in 1998. The last two movies to screen there were Titanic and Wild Things.
But the cinema was ultra-modern when it was built in 1952, with a sleek design and a gimmicky “floating screen”, curved to allegedly provide a 3-D experience. The theatre catered to a neighbourhood that was, at the time, on the edge of town—a harbinger of sprawl to come. (Though two more screens were added in later decades, the Westwood was nonetheless dwarfed by the nearby Queensway and Sherwood multiplexes.)
In 2009, plans were made between the city and the province to tear down the theatre and build a courthouse on some of the 19 acres of city-owned land, but funding was pulled. There may now be plans to put a YMCA on the site, but no deals have been inked, yet. Reassuringly, the majority of the building is still intact—apart from the “D” in the iconic sign, which was damaged during the filming of Resident Evil: Apocalypse. (The roof was blown up by a zombie with a rocket launcher.)
Westwood Theatres, 1974
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