The Odeon Theatre Toronto was a movie theatre located at 20 Carlton Street in Toronto, Ontario. Designed by architect Jay English and operating between 1949 and 1973, the theatre was the Canadian flagship of Odeon Cinemas and one of Toronto's best examples of Streamline Moderne architecture.
History
Odeon Cinemas was founded in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch in Brierley Hill, England. In 1938 the company was bought by J. Arthur Rank, and shortly after this time a Canadian arm of the business was opened, called Odeon Theatres Canada. Toronto's first Odeon theatre was the Odeon Fairlawn, located at 3320 Yonge Street, and was also designed by Jay English. The Odeon Fairlawn opened on 14 August 1947.
A year later Odeon began construction on a new flagship theatre which was designed by English. The Odeon Theatre Toronto contained 2,318 seats, a restaurant, and Odeon's Canadian offices. The theatre opened on 9 September 1949 with the North-American premiere of Oliver Twist. The screening was attended by Patricia Roc and Trevor Howard. In 1956 the theatre's name was changed to the Odeon Carlton, which it would remain until its closure.