Queen Elizabeth Theatre

The heritage value of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre lies in its historical, cultural and social values, as exhibited by its importance as an early Modernist theatre complex and its landmark status in the city.

Owned by the City of Vancouver, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is representative of a period in the city's history when Vancouver asserted its role as the cultural centre for the region. An international competition was held for its design, indicating the city's ambition to be on the world's cultural map.

Constructed from 1957 to 1959 (Theatre) and 1962 (Playhouse), the complex is associated with a winning design team, namely, the Montreal-based consortium that later became ARCOP (Architects in Co-partnership). This organization was a Modernist interdisciplinary group that conceived of civic building programs as urban planning initiatives. Originally intended to be part of multi-block civic centre complex with a land bridge to a proposed convention hall, the Theatre reflects the Modernist philosophy of placing cultural life at the center of the civic urban fabric.

Typical of the International Modernist style which emerged in Canada in the 1950s, the theatre complex features a clear expression of its function and structure in the obviously different auditoria and lobby areas. It has a glass curtain wall which provides interior views, linking inside to outside, and it incorporates contemporary exterior finishes with limited embellishment. The vehicular lane outside the theatre entrances indicates the emerging central role of the automobile in an essentially suburban city. The plaza with its fountain is typical of civic spaces created in this era.