MONTREAL – Montreal city councillors voted five to one in favour of extending a deadline to a community group to secure the funds needed to renovate the old Empress Theatre on Sherbrooke Street.
The community organization, cinemandg.ca has raised more than $9 million of the $12 million it said is needed to renovate the NDG landmark.
“What we want to create is not only cinema and just go see a movie. We want to generate a lot of activities around it,” Elaine Ethier told Global News.
Four new movie screens, a lounge, café and restaurant are all part of the plans.
CDN-NDG Borough Mayor Russell Copeman voted in favour.
“I think it’s important to try and save the Empress,” he said.
The extension grants the community group a deadline of June 2016 to secure the balance.
The Empress opened in 1927 with a variety of onstage shows and movies.
Eventually, it became Cinema V until 1992 when it closed its doors for good.
Renovating the iconic structure is planned for next year with an opening date set for 2017 to coincide with Montreal’s 375th anniversary.
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