Since 1927, the Wales Theatre has been entertaining audiences in High River, Alta. Now, the historic building — and its movie-screening business model — is up for sale.
The owners of the movie theatre say it’s time to move on, so it’s officially been listed for just over $1 million.
Joshua Torrence is an associate broker at Century 21 Foothills Real Estate in High River, and he’s in charge of selling the cinema.
“There’s so much history in that building,” Torrence told CBC Radio’s the Calgary Eyeopener on Friday.
Calgary Eyeopener6:57Talk of the Town: High River Theatre
“As we go through the history a little bit, you’ll see that everyone that has had their hand on it has fallen in love and has stayed there for a long time.”
Originally named the Highwood Theatre when it first opened nearly 100 years ago, Torrence says it offered seating for 400 people.
Then, in 1929, it became the first theatre between Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., with the latest talking-picture technology, Torrence says. The man who installed the equipment ended up staying on as the projectionist at the theatre for over 40 years, according to Torrence.
The cinema even survived the 2013 floods that caused severe damage across parts of southern and central Alberta.
The property comes with a commercial space — which is currently leased to Domino’s Pizza — as well as a two-bedroom residential suite above the pizza place.
“It’s got an art deco charm that has been held on to through the ages … when you step into there, it just takes you back,” said the broker.
What’s more, buying the building also means buying its business model, so the future owners of the Wales Theatre can continue to operate it as an independent cinema.
Preserving the movie business is something Torrence says is important to the selling process, and the goal is to find a buyer who wants to keep the mom-and-pop theatre going.
“It’s been an entertainment staple,” said Torrence, adding that he’s heard High River community members expressing fond memories and hopes that the sale won’t take the movie theatre away.
Feeling of ‘magic’ that cinema brings
Sonya William is the director of the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors, also known as NICE, which is an alliance of independent cinemas, festivals and programmers across the country. While the Wales Theatre isn’t one of the cinemas associated with NICE, William says today’s Canadian film community is passionate about preserving spaces like it, especially in smaller communities.
“In every small town, if there’s a show on or if there’s a big film at the local cinema, everyone benefits — the local restaurants, the local bars, the local stores. It brings the whole community alive,” said William.
“There’s something intangible about that feeling of a cinema and the magic that it brings.”
For William, movie theatres aren’t just about seeing the latest blockbuster films. She says local, one-screen cinemas offer communities a curated entertainment experience at a relatively affordable price, making arts and culture closer to home and therefore easier to access in small towns.
The NICE director has also been hearing from moviegoers and filmmakers alike about the importance of protecting historic movie venues.
“Historic heritage spaces are so important for some kind of cultural continuity and storytelling and understanding of place,” William said, adding that the communal experience of viewing a film has existed for many generations of people.
“Going into an old movie theater and seeing the beautiful marquee, the gorgeous concessions in [the Wales Theatre], the fun ephemera on the walls, going up to the balcony and feeling like maybe you’re sitting in a seat that somebody else sat in almost 100 years ago.… There’s something really beautiful about having that connection to the past in your community.”