Barrymore's Music Hall

Barrymore's Music Hall, generally known as Barrymore's, was a nightclub and concert venue in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The venue opened in 1978 when Gordon and Sherry Rhodes established it in the former Imperial Theatre on Bank Street. Its location in a repurposed theatre gave the business a substantial performance space and helped it develop beyond a conventional nightclub into a destination for touring musicians, local performers, and late-night entertainment. During the 1980s, Barrymore's was regarded as one of Canada's significant music venues. Its programming included concerts by recognized artists and helped make Ottawa part of the touring circuit for national and international acts. The venue combined live music with nightclub operations, allowing it to serve both as a concert hall and as a nightlife business. Its identity was therefore built less around a packaged consumer product than around its physical venue, event calendar, atmosphere, and reputation among Ottawa audiences. The business experienced a major interruption in 1991 when its owner filed for bankruptcy and the building's operations were cancelled. Barrymore's later returned to operation after Eugene Haslam, who also owned the Ottawa club Zaphod Beeblebrox, acquired the venue in 1996. Haslam introduced recurring themed evenings, including an 1980s retro night on Sundays and a 1990s retro night on Thursdays. These events became particularly popular fixtures in Ottawa nightlife and broadened the venue's appeal beyond live concerts. In August 2008, scheduled concerts were cancelled and operations were suspended amid the apparent sale of the venue to a new owner. Barrymore's reopened on 11 September 2008 after Montreal-based club operator Vince Simeone and George Syriannis became the building's new tenants. The venue then resumed a regular program of events. George Syriannis is identified as the owner and operator in the available reference material. The building's physical condition became a significant issue in the 2020s. By March 2021, deterioration had led the City of Ottawa to order landlord Louis Antonakos to undertake urgent repairs or face closure. Antonakos appealed the order later that month. The available material does not establish whether the concert and nightclub business subsequently continued on a normal basis. By August 2025, the building's foyer was being used as a cannabis dispensary, indicating a change in at least part of the property's use, while the longer-term status of the Barrymore's venue brand remains uncertain.

Barrymore's began in 1978 in Ottawa's former Imperial Theatre on Bank Street. Gordon and Sherry Rhodes opened the establishment as a nightclub and concert venue, making use of the former theatre's performance-oriented layout. From the outset, the business occupied a hybrid position: it could host touring concerts while also functioning as a late-night club. This combination gave Barrymore's a durable role in Ottawa's entertainment scene. The venue reached its strongest period of recognition during the 1980s. It was considered one of Canada's important music venues of that decade and hosted concerts by noted artists. Its contribution to the city's cultural infrastructure came from providing a relatively prominent room for touring acts and from connecting Ottawa audiences with live music that might otherwise have bypassed the city. The Barrymore's name consequently became associated with both music discovery and nightlife. Financial difficulties interrupted the venue's development. In 1991, the owner filed for bankruptcy, and operations in the building were cancelled. Barrymore's did not disappear permanently, however. In 1996, Eugene Haslam acquired the venue. Haslam also owned Zaphod Beeblebrox, another Ottawa nightlife institution, and brought an established club-operator perspective to Barrymore's. Under his direction, the venue added regular theme nights, notably an 1980s-themed Sunday and a 1990s-themed Thursday. These recurring events became two of the more popular nights in Ottawa nightlife and helped the venue maintain an audience beyond its concert schedule. A further transition occurred in 2008. In August, concerts were cancelled and the venue suspended operations while an apparent sale was taking place. Barrymore's reopened on 11 September after Montreal-based club operator Vince Simeone and George Syriannis became the building's new tenants. A regular event schedule resumed, and Syriannis is later identified as the owner and operator of Barrymore's. The venue's later history was increasingly affected by the condition of the building itself. In March 2021, deterioration had become serious enough for the City of Ottawa to order landlord Louis Antonakos to make urgent repairs or risk closure. Antonakos appealed the order later in the month. These events introduced uncertainty about the continuity of the established nightclub and concert operation, because the venue's ability to trade depended on the condition and regulatory status of the premises. By August 2025, the foyer was being used as a cannabis dispensary. The available reference does not provide enough information to determine whether Barrymore's continued to operate elsewhere, operated intermittently, or had effectively ceased as a nightclub and concert venue. Its historical significance nonetheless rests on more than four decades of association with Ottawa's live-music and nightlife culture, including its 1980s concert prominence, post-1996 theme-night programming, and repeated efforts to resume operations after financial, ownership, and building-condition disruptions.

• 2025

  Foyer reported as cannabis dispensary

  [1]Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org

  By August, the foyer is being used as a cannabis dispensary; the source does not establish the venue's broader operating status.

• 2021

  City orders urgent building repairs

  [1]Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org

  Ottawa orders landlord Louis Antonakos to make urgent repairs because of deterioration, with an appeal filed later that month.

• 2008

  Operations are suspended and then restored

  [1]Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org

  Concerts are cancelled in August during an apparent sale; the venue reopens on 11 September under new tenants Vince Simeone and George Syriannis.

• 1996

  Venue reopens under Eugene Haslam

  [1]Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org

  Eugene Haslam acquires Barrymore's and reopens it, adding recurring 1980s and 1990s theme nights.

• 1991

  Bankruptcy interrupts operations

  [1]Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org

  The owner files for bankruptcy, and operations in the building are cancelled.

• 1980

  Venue becomes prominent in Canada's live-music circuit

  [1]Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1980s, Barrymore's is regarded as one of Canada's important music venues and hosts concerts by noted artists.

• 1978

  Barrymore's opens in the former Imperial Theatre

  [1]Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org

  Gordon and Sherry Rhodes open the nightclub and concert venue on Bank Street in Ottawa's former Imperial Theatre.

A longstanding Ottawa nightlife and live-music venue positioned around concert programming, club events, and recurring themed nights rather than packaged goods.

• Live music · 1978

  Live concert venue

  Barrymore's served as a concert room for touring musicians and other performers. Its importance was especially visible during the 1980s, when it was regarded as one of Canada's notable music venues and helped establish Ottawa as a stop on the touring circuit.

• Nightlife · 1978

  Nightclub

  Alongside concerts, Barrymore's operated as a nightclub offering late-night entertainment in Ottawa. The business depended on the venue atmosphere, event calendar, and repeat local attendance rather than on a separate packaged product line.

• Themed nightlife events · 1996

  Retro theme nights

  After Eugene Haslam's 1996 acquisition, the venue developed recurring themed events, including an 1980s retro night on Sundays and a 1990s retro night on Thursdays. These became particularly popular fixtures in Ottawa nightlife.

• 2021

  Respond to an urgent repair orderOther

  Background

  The City of Ottawa determined that deterioration of the building required urgent attention.

  Action taken

  The city ordered landlord Louis Antonakos to make repairs or face closure; Antonakos appealed the order later that month.

  Aftermath

  The venue's continuing operation became uncertain in the available record.

  Source

• 2008

  Transfer the venue to new tenantsM&A

  Background

  Scheduled concerts were cancelled and operations were suspended amid an apparent sale of the venue.

  Action taken

  Vince Simeone and George Syriannis became the building's new tenants, after which Barrymore's reopened on 11 September.

  Aftermath

  The venue resumed a regular schedule of events, with George Syriannis later identified as its owner and operator.

  Source

• 1996

  Introduce recurring retro theme nightsStrategy

  Background

  After acquiring Barrymore's, Eugene Haslam sought to reinforce its nightclub identity and create dependable repeat-visit occasions.

  Action taken

  The venue introduced Sunday 1980s retro nights and Thursday 1990s retro nights.

  Aftermath

  The two theme nights became among the more popular recurring nightlife events in Ottawa.

  Source

1. 1Barrymore'sen.wikipedia.org