Westdale theatre’s hidden treasures

Pieces of Hamilton’s history are being uncovered in the restoration of the Westdale Theatre.

The marquee has been stripped down and the iconic Westdale letters are no longer up but something very special has been revealed in the process. A comedy mask and still covered a tragedy mask, they were part of the original facade of the Westdale Theatre in 1935.

The Westdale Cinema group say they want to restore the facade to its original look and are thrilled the masks are in good shape.

“They will be revealed so that everyone can see what the theatre looked like in 1935, 82 years ago.”

But the masks are not the only piece of history that have been discovered at the theatre. A peerless projector, it was one of two of the original projectors in the theatre back in 1935.  Old movie tickets were also found. Several rolls were discovered and are being sold online with profits going towards restoring the theatre.

The seats have now been taken out of the theatre and those who want to help can donate between $250 – $1000 to have their names on the new seats that will be put in.

The theatre is expected to reopen, restored to its original glory July of next year.