Golf no longer considered theatre

For a venue that once played host to the likes of George Burns, Fred Astaire, the Marx Brothers, and Jack Benny, The Grand Culturehouse has since fallen on hard times. Once the cultural centre of the city for nearly fifty years, in its most recent incarnation, The Grand Golf Centre, all that is lost to the thud of golf balls against a backdrop of airbrushed green.


“That’s actually painted on the old movie screen,” says Chito Pabustan of Sturgess Architecture, lamenting the decline of the space. “That’s a $36,000 piece of cloth they were hitting golf balls at.”


On a chilly morning, Mark Lawes, Theatre Junction’s Artistic Director reveals how his theatre group will revitalize the space and return it to its former glory. It’s a project more than a year in the making.


When the decision was made to renovate the Jubilee Auditorium, the Betty Mitchell Theatre was slated for demolition, which left Theatre Junction without a home. While on sabbatical in Paris, Lawes worked in a theatre being restored after years of abandonment, leading him to research similar spaces, including The Grand in Calgary.


“I parked my car, walked in to The Grand and watched people drive golf balls,” Lawes recalls. “I knew this had to be our new home.”


Built as part of the Lougheed Block in 1911 and 1912, The Grand Culturehouse is to become a contemporary performance space, while exposing the origins and history of the building. This means stripping the space down to its original 50 foot brick walls and creating a display with the countertops for the in-house cafe. These glass-covered counters will contain debris from the many layers of construction the building has experienced over the years. The foyer will be restored to its original condition, providing patrons with an authentic experience as they walk through the doors.


“It’ll be the ultimate flexible theatre space,” describes Pabustan. “It’s needed for the intimate quality of live performances and the hi-tech needs of film and soundstages.”


Highly-configurable and capable of seating between 250 and 400 people (depending on the configuration), the space needs to be flexible as to host a wide variety of events from bodybuilding to ballet in the hopes of restoring The Grand as a cultural and artistic center for Calgary. In addition, the rehearsal space serves as a fully equipped smaller theatre in which up-and-coming theatre companies can present their work, a huge asset considering the severe lack of performance space in the city.


To find the final three of the ten and a half million dollars required for the building’s purchase and restoration, Theatre Junction turns to private donations. The project has already gained support in the form of $2.8 million from the Government of Alberta and $1.5 million from the City of Calgary, along with over three million dollars from a variety of private and corporate donors. Ron Stevens, the former Minister of Gaming turned Minister of Justice, received a warm ovation in discussing the provincial government’s dedication to the project.


As Theatre Junction goes about raising the remaining funds, construction will go ahead, starting in February and wrap up in time for a November opening of the new Grand Culturehouse to coincide with Alberta’s 100th anniversary. In a province where performance venues have been disappearing at an alarming rate, the reemergence of The Grand is a welcome sight.