Quonset Hut Theaters – Long Live the Roxy
The Roxy is
one of about 150,000 quonset huts that were manufactured during World War Two which were eventually sold by the US military as surplus to the public. Quonset’s were designed to be an all purpose, lightweight building that could be shipped anywhere and assembled without skilled labour. They can be found all around the world. Prefabricated structures of corrugated galvanized steel with a semicircular cross-section.
A search on the internet reveals a wonderful site called cinematreasures.org with a quonset hut map that shows 18 still open quonset style theaters across Canada and the US. Two of these are in Canada and can be found in Wainwright, Alberta and Victoria, BC. The Alma Theater in Wainwright is typical of a design in which the whole theater (projection booth, seating, screen and stage) were contained within the hut. Others like our Roxy combined the quonset with a new facade. Also typical of these theaters is the construction dates which usually are in the late 1940’s or early 50’s. The Alma quonset fits that profile and was eventually adapted into a three screen operation in 1980, splitting the seating up into one large and two smaller theaters. It is hard to look at a picture of the Alma and believe there are three viewing areas within it!
In case you thought the name Roxy was rare you would be wrong, especially when it comes to theaters. There are Roxy’s in Edmonton, Airdrie and Hinton. The quonset Roxy in Victoria is stilling operating as a live theater.
From the Crowsnest Pass Herald
The Roxy Theatre was built in 1948 after fire destroyed the old opera house. The building was constructed in two sections. The front section is wood frame with brick, and has a wrap-around neon marquee. This section housed the ticket booth, and the popcorn machine, said to make the finest popcorn in the district! The second component is a corrugated steel Quonset, housing the 338 seats, screen, and ventilation system. The building was home not only to movies, but to performances by the local symphony orchestra, and special Christmas shows for kids. Located on Coleman's main street, the theatre was an integral part of the small town's streetscape.
From the Alberta Register of Historic Places