Westwood Theatre

Westwood Theatre was a Canadian cinema located at the Six Points intersection in Etobicoke, Ontario, where Kipling Avenue met Bloor Street and Dundas Street. It opened in 1951 on a 13.8-acre property, most of which was devoted to surface parking. The theatre was designed by Kaplan and Sprachman, an architectural firm known for its work on Canadian cinemas, including buildings influenced by the art deco tradition. Despite that association, local cinema historian Doug Taylor characterized the Westwood's design as utilitarian rather than highly ornamental. The venue originally contained one auditorium with seating for approximately 1,000 patrons. A second auditorium was added during the 1970s, reflecting the broader shift in cinema exhibition toward multiplex-style operations and more flexible programming. The theatre served a suburban Etobicoke community whose civic and commercial life was strongly shaped by automobile access. Its large site and parking area were therefore central to the venue's original operating model. Over time, the land became increasingly valuable as Etobicoke developed and was later incorporated into the amalgamated City of Toronto. The property's scale and location made continued use as a traditional cinema less economically attractive. Westwood Theatre closed in 1998 and remained vacant for many years, reportedly until 2013. During the period after closure, the site was considered in connection with proposals to relocate Etobicoke's civic centre from the less transit-accessible civic campus on The West Mall. The former theatre location had the advantage of being within walking distance of the Kipling and Islington subway stations. Those redevelopment possibilities did not restore the cinema. The former theatre site was eventually demolished and became part of the reconfiguration of the Six Points interchange. Westwood Theatre is therefore remembered primarily as a former local cinema and as a physical marker of Etobicoke's transition from a car-oriented suburban municipality to a more transit-connected urban district. No current operating business, parent company, public listing, or official website is identified in the available reference material.

Westwood Theatre was constructed in 1951 at Etobicoke's Six Points intersection, a major junction formed by Kipling Avenue, Bloor Street, and Dundas Street. The theatre occupied a 13.8-acre, or approximately 5.6-hectare, property. Most of the site consisted of a large surface parking lot, consistent with the automobile-oriented suburban development pattern of postwar Etobicoke. The building was designed by Kaplan and Sprachman, an architectural practice associated with the design of numerous Canadian cinemas and with the country's art deco cinema heritage. Available historical commentary describes the Westwood building itself as utilitarian in appearance. When it opened, the theatre had one auditorium capable of seating 1,000 people. A second auditorium was added in the 1970s, allowing the venue to present films in a format better suited to changing exhibition practices and audience demand. Westwood operated as a neighbourhood cinema for several decades. Its location connected it to the growth of Etobicoke as an independent municipality and to a civic landscape in which public facilities were concentrated on The West Mall. That civic campus was relatively dependent on automobile access. By contrast, the Six Points property later attracted attention because it was close to the Kipling and Islington subway stations and could support a more transit-accessible civic and community centre. The theatre closed in 1998. Its closure reflected the increasing development pressure on the property as the surrounding municipality grew and as the land's value exceeded what could readily be supported by a conventional cinema operation with a large parking lot. After closing, the building remained vacant for an extended period, reportedly through 2013. Following Etobicoke's amalgamation into the City of Toronto, proposals emerged to move civic functions from the older West Mall campus to the former Westwood location. The site was viewed as strategically attractive because of its central position at Six Points and its proximity to subway stations. These plans did not result in the cinema's preservation or reopening. The former theatre was ultimately demolished, and the property was used in connection with the reconfiguration of the Six Points interchange. Westwood Theatre consequently survives as a historical reference rather than an active entertainment business. Its story illustrates the lifecycle of a postwar suburban cinema: construction around a large car-accessible site, adaptation through the addition of a second auditorium, closure as land values and urban priorities changed, a prolonged vacant period, and eventual replacement by transportation and civic redevelopment.

• 2013

  Long vacancy period ends in historical accounts

  [1]Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material identifies the theatre as having remained vacant from its closure until 2013.

• 1998

  Cinema operations end

  [1]Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Westwood Theatre closes after operating for nearly five decades.

• 1970

  Second auditorium is added

  [1]Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The theatre expands from one auditorium to two during the 1970s, adapting its exhibition capacity to changing cinema practices.

• 1951

  Westwood Theatre opens in Etobicoke

  [1]Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  A new cinema opens at the Six Points intersection on a 13.8-acre property, initially containing a single auditorium with approximately 1,000 seats.

• Former site is incorporated into Six Points redevelopment

  [1]Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The former theatre is demolished and the property becomes part of the Six Points interchange reconfiguration.

A local suburban cinema serving Etobicoke audiences from the 1950s until its closure in 1998.

• Cinema · 1951

  Westwood Theatre cinema exhibition

  The theatre's core offering was public motion-picture exhibition. It began with one auditorium seating about 1,000 patrons and later added a second auditorium in the 1970s. The available material does not identify specific operators, film programmes, concession brands, or ticketing formats.

• 1998

  Cinema operations are discontinuedStrategy

  Background

  The theatre's large, valuable property became less compatible with continued use as a traditional cinema and parking-oriented site.

  Action taken

  Westwood Theatre closed its doors.

  Aftermath

  The building remained vacant for many years before the property was eventually redeveloped and the structure demolished.

  Source

• 1970

  Expansion to a second auditoriumGeneration change

  Background

  The original single-auditorium format was expanded during the 1970s as cinema exhibition increasingly adopted multi-screen operations.

  Action taken

  A second auditorium was added to the Westwood Theatre.

  Aftermath

  The venue gained additional screening capacity, although the available sources do not provide attendance or financial results.

  Source

• 1998

  Westwood Theatre closes after nearly five decades[1]Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Etobicoke cinema ceased operations after the value and redevelopment potential of its large Six Points property made continued theatre use less viable.

• Former Westwood Theatre site is demolished for Six Points interchange work[1]Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  After remaining vacant for many years, the former cinema site was demolished and incorporated into the reconfiguration of the Six Points road interchange.

1. 1Westwood Theatreen.wikipedia.org