Westdale Cinema

Project Description:

The Westdale Theatre was one of Hamilton’s first movie houses built for motion pictures with sound in 1935. It operated for decades at the centre of Westdale Village but had fallen into disrepair and disengaged ownership by the 1990s.

After public concern about the fate of the theatre, and consideration from Council to force a heritage designation on the property, the owners put the building up for sale. Simultaneously multiple groups from the cultural sector, community advocates and funders had gathered to discuss how they could be playing a role in the theatre’s future.  With both parties wishing to engage Cobalt Connects in their process, we brought the two teams together and created a strong team with mutual interests to purchase the property.

Over the course of two years Cobalt Connects was the administrative and business development partner for the newly formed Westdale Cinema Group. Our engagement included leading the development of the operational model and business plan, grant writing, financing due diligence, development and management of all online donations and perks, social media, volunteer management, and an extensive community engagement process visiting festivals and events across the city to engage residents. We even managed to convince Westdale alumni Martin Short to provide a promotional video to lead the projects launch!

On February 14th, 2019 the theatre opened to much fanfare as not only a completely restored theatre with modern amenities in the heart of Westdale, but a fully designated heritage building protected for generations to come.

Client: Westdale Cinema Group

Collaborators: WCG Board, Unicorn Rebellion, Toms + McNally Architects, legions of volunteers and donors

Website: https://www.thewestdale.ca

City: Hamilton, ON

Date: 2017 - 2019