Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 03/07/2026 01:11:00

One family ran this Art Deco cinema for 76 straight years - through the Depression, the war and the multiplex age - and when it finally went dark, the neighbourhood fought for a decade to bring it back. The Hollywood Theatre, at 3123 West Broadway in Vancouver's Kitsilano district, opened on 24 October 1935 and returned in 2020 as a live music and arts venue. Architect Harold Cullerne designed the theatre for the Fairleigh family, who opened it on Thanksgiving Day 1935 with tickets at 10 and 15 cents and the neon promise of the "pick o' the best plays". Its undulating facade, hieroglyphic flourishes, black-and-gold tiles and frameless glass ticket booth made it a Deco jewel - and the family kept it running as a discount neighbourhood house until May 2011, closing with Cinema Paradiso. The rescue took the whole toolkit of heritage politics: a Save the Hollywood campaign, a demolition moratorium, years atop Heritage Vancouver's endangered list, and finally a 2018 Heritage Revitalization Agreement with owner Bonnis Properties that designated the exterior and key interior features as protected property in exchange for development next door. The restoration, by MA+HG Architects, revived the ornate plaster ceiling, wood wainscoting and original neon while rebuilding the hall as a 594-capacity licensed venue. Since reopening in 2020 the Hollywood has run as Kitsilano's multidisciplinary stage: touring bands, DJ nights, film premieres, comedy, lectures and community events under one restored marquee. Practical notes: the theatre sits on West Broadway's shopping strip near Balaclava Street, on major bus routes with paid street parking nearby; most concerts are 19-plus with some all-ages and seated events. The neon alone - restored to its 1935 glow - justifies an evening walk down Broadway.