It’s time to cue the end slate, the Paramount Theatre in Kelowna is closing.
The downtown movie theatre on Bernard Avenue has been sold.
Terry Barton, manager of urban planning with the City of Kelowna confirmed that the theatre’s doors will be closing sometime in the near future.
“It’s in the process of changing ownership to a different group. There’s no development application at this point, and so there’s really nothing public that I can share. The new owners are considering their options and looking at some sort of adaptive reuse of the building.”
It’s unclear who bought the property, but Barton said he believes it will be renovated into a restaurant.
“I’m speculating here but it will likely be within the commercial restaurant type of use, something along those lines.”
Any major changes to the facility will require a form and character development permit, which will have to be approved by City of Kelowna council. Even though the theatre doesn’t have any heritage designation, Barton said the City will work with the new owners to keep some of the well-known features of the building in place.
“It’s certainly a prominent landmark within in our downtown. A lot of people share a lot of memories regarding that spot. The City will try its best when the applicant does come forward to try and save some of those character defining elements.”
KelownaNow.com has contacted Landmark Cinemas for a comment, but calls have not been returned at this time.
The City of Kelowna does not know the closing date for the movie theatre.
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