Theatre Design & Technology - Oct 1966 - 31

The St. Lawrence Centre in Toronto
James C. Crang

I.R. CODE: architecture - civic - arts center

Today I am going to describe the present plans of the
theatre and concert hall on which we propose to start
construction late this summer.
Perhaps you might be interested in the evolution of this
project: the reason these theatres are being built. The
program developed here as a result of Toronto's search
for a Canadian Centennial project. As you probably know,
our Centennial Year for Canada is 1967, and the Federal
Government made a grant to each municipality based
on the rate of one dollar a head.
Each municipality then started the search for something
which would be a lasting memorial to commemorate our
Centennial Year. The municipalities were also required
to add to their budgets, because a dollar per person
generally is not sufficient for the projects that most
people had in mind.
Toronto chose to build a theatre and concert hall. as
well as a supporting facilities building. At this point our
budget does not permit the erection of the third phase,
this supporting facilities building. Perhaps we should be
building it first and the theatre second, but I guess one
needs demand before the support becomes available. There
is a lot of demand certainly for the other building, but
we have chosen in the interest of the Centennial Year to
build the theatre and the concert hall.
We are still struggling to maintain budget control. We
expect to be successful in meeting our goal, also. in
getting the buildings up in the most efficient manner.
After the initial decision, the Toronto Arts Foundation
was created, which is the citizens' organization responsible to the elected officials of the City of Toronto. They
are in fact responsible for the project design, development, fund-raising, and administration of the monies required to build this project. In the very beginning they
retained consultants to report on the requirements.

I only became Chairman in January of this year, and
did take a little time to get fully absorbed in it and to
pick up some of the pieces. I must say it has been a
fascinating experience.
Professionally I am an architect, but I have never designed theatres; so this is a huge thing for me, to be
Chairman of a design and construction committee and
being a client at the same time, dealing with retained
architects who are good friends of mine. Ken Foster is
the design partner in charge of this project.
The variation of site choice was qu ite interesting. There
had been a great deal of argument by people involved
in this project as to where such a structure or structures
should be built. There were discussions about the relation of these buildings to O'Keefe Centre. Should they
be adjacent to it? Should we have a theatre center In
the city? Should we have this site opposite the brandnew City Hall to develop a night-life in that area (an idea
in which there is certainly some merit for argument)?
Should it be related to the university, or should it be
closer to a commercial area? The ultimate choice was to
reinforce the present major theatre of the city, and it
was located adjacent to, and on a square in front of the
O'Keefe Centre.
The 850-seat house of the theatre is divided just about
exactly in half. There are approximately 425 seats going
down from the grade level (lobby level or street levell,
and a cross-aisle corridor level down to half of the house.
You would then go to the other half of the house from
a second-floor lobby level, to which there is access
through the lobby to the second-floor lobby.
This is a thrust stage-proscenium type of stage. We
believe that this is about as flexible as any theatre that
has been built today, although you people will certainly
know more about this than I. The proscenium wall is
comprised of sliding panels which are removable and
which stack as indicated. One may choose, ultimately,
either the proscenium stage or a full open stage visible
and open to the public, including the thrust stage.

The firm retained was Earl Currie, which investigates
various business needs, and capital construction projects
as well. They came in with a detailed report that defined requirements for a theatre and a concert hall, as
well as for the facilities building. This report included
square footage areas of specific space within structures.

The thrust stage is designed with four movable sections,
which raise and lower hydraulically to the performers'
level below.

The Toronto Arts Foundation itself is composed of four
committee groups under a Board of Governers. There
is an Executive Committee responsible to the Board of
Governers, and the Executive Committee has four basic
committees below it: (1) a users' committee, which determines the use requirements of these buildings; (2)
a financing and fund-raising committee; (3) a public
relations committee; and (4) a design and construction
committee. It is the latter committee of which I am Chairman.

(The remainder of Mr. Crang's presentation involved reference to specific elements in the presented plans. The
Concert Hall will seat 750, construction is essentially of
brick pre-cast concrete.)

OCTOBER 1966

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