Paramount Theatre demolition one of the ‘worst losses’ of 2013

The demolition of the historic Paramount Theatre building in downtown Chilliwack earned it a spot on the Heritage Canada Foundations worst losses list for 2013.

The inclusion of the Paramount makes it clear that the loss has impacted more than just the Chilliwack community, said Laura Reid, a member of Friends of the Paramount Theatre.

News of the demolition decision went global with Heritage Canada Foundations recognition the heritage value of the Paramount building by including it on the top 10 endangered list for 2012 as well as the worst losses for 2013.

When no proposal with enough financial backing came forward, city council voted last year to demolish the historic building.

Now Reid said she wondered if city officials had been presented last summer with a Statement of Significance on the heritage value of the Paramount, would they have accepted the gift from Landmark Cinemas, and then went ahead with demolition plans?

The lack of a Community Heritage Commission may have also played a part in the theatres demise," said Reid.

Members of the Friends of the Chilliwack Paramount group, which later became the Chilliwack Paramount Film Society, tried to respond to the citys Request for Proposals with a proposal to run the building as a repertory-style theatre.

Instead council voted to demolish, taking Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporations (CEPCO) up on its offer to demolish the building at no cost, in a vote of 6-1.

The city went through two RFP processes, and when neither one produced a viable proposal from a business point of view, its future was sealed. The building had to undergo asbestos removal before demolition, and was run down.

"The building was demolished and sits as a vacant lot," reads the entry on the Heritage Canada Foundation website. "Luckily of the building's contents went to Chilliwack Museum to be eventually put on display."

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Paramount Theatre demolition one of the 'worst losses' of 2013