The curtain is slowly coming down on the historic Royal George Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The town’s heritage committee members on Wednesday supported a demolition permit application by Shaw Festival to remove the theatre at 83-85 Queen St. and Tranter’s House next door at 79 Queen St.

“We are looking at the second phase of the demolition,” said Tim Jennings, Shaw Festival’s executive director.

Jennings has said in past presentations to the committee the theatre company envisions a new Royal George Theatre “that we think everybody will be proud of.”

He said the new theatre will be “world-class, fully accessible, zero carbon-designed.”

Shaw Festival officials have said demolition is expected to commence in early February.

It has invited people to say “farewell” to the theatre building on Jan. 31 for “one final visit.” That opportunity will run from 1 to 4 p.m.

Jennings said “we wanted to pause and share this moment with the community who have loved this theatre through all its incarnations and brought it to life.”

Issuance of the demolition permit is contingent on Shaw Festival submitting a site plan agreement that includes revised conservation and commemoration plans for the Royal George site — refinement to design drawings and further information on building a “ghost facade” for the new theatre that will honour the temple front design of the old theatre designed by Peter John Stokes in 1914.

The site plan will also need to refine text of a proposed Victoria Street commemorative plaque to improve historic accuracy.

The heritage committee last September approved a demolition permit application to remove buildings at 178 and 188 Victoria St. Only Coun. Tim Balasiuk voted against the application saying, “These are heritage homes we are looking to demolish. I didn’t want to make it commonplace.”

Balasiuk approved the demolition permit application for the Royal George Theatre without comment.

Town council will vote on the committee’s recommendation to issue a demolition permit for the Queen Street properties on Jan. 27.

The Royal George Theatre, said heritage officials, was originally constructed as a commercial building with “modest” architectural detailing. The structure was remade after the First World War with the addition of a Neoclassical facade.

Tranter’s House, a one-storey building, was constructed in 1885 as a barber shop. It now houses Shaw Festival’s wardrobe operations.

Both buildings are within Queen-Picton Heritage Conservation District, and approval is needed for any structure to be demolished within the area.

In a report to the committee, heritage staff said demolishing the buildings will “result in the loss of historic building fabric in the Old Town.” But the elimination of the structures will be “mitigated” through “sensitive design” of the new Royal George Theatre, materials that will be salvage, and interpretation and commemoration measures.

The heritage committee had previously reviewed the updated conservation and commemoration plan for the new theatre area that will feature an interactive “history wall” in its second-floor lounge, incorporating glazed millwork and shelving for archival material, and space for exhibiting historical items on the ground floor.

Several commemorative plaques are proposed for across the site, including a primary plaque on Victoria Street. Two display panels are proposed to be located near a ghost facade that will describe the theatre’s history, and other plaques are to be installed inside the theatre.

The $50-million theatre will have a basement level and will maintain a two-storey street wall along Queen and Victoria streets, with a third storey and fly tower set back and covered with landscaping and design techniques.

An exterior courtyard is also planned.

While heritage committee members supported the demolition permit application, member John Morley was insistent that an extensive presentation by Shaw Festival’s consultants be made to the committee regarding landscaping plans. He said although the plan is publicly available online, a presentation on how the area will look to residents should have been conducted.

“I am personally disappointed (the landscaping presentation) will not be done at the committee,” he said. “It is so incredibly important to residents on Queen Street and Victoria Street.”

By Kevin Werner for www.niagarathisweek.com.

Photo: Royal George Theatre. © 2024.