ELORA – Payton Curtis has been running the Gorge Cinema in Elora for the past five years.
After working for many years in film and television abroad, Curtis decided to come back home with his wife, Julianna.
“We weren’t here long before I became quick friends with John Chalmers, who had been running the Gorge Cinema for over 35 years. Sadly I had learned that after his retirement, Canada’s oldest continuously running repertory cinema, which was opened back in 1974, was in danger of closing with no buyer insight. So I decided to take this on as the Cinema was so important to me growing up and had helped foster my career in film.”
Curtis says after taking over the Cinema, the building which houses it changed hands and was sold to a developer.
He says the new owners’ representatives met with him and were told that the Cinema would no longer be welcome in the building.
“They strongly encouraged that I surrender my lease and close the Cinema, clearing the way for their development. I didn’t like this one bit…” Curtis said.
However, just a couple of months ago Curtis got a phone call saying the developers had decided to sell the building to Kat Florence who he didn’t know, at least so he thought.
Kat Florence is actually a long-lost friend, Kristy Hillis, who used to sit on the bus with Curtis on the way to school back in the ’90s.
“We met for dinner and I found out that Kristy, while living in Europe, Australia, and Asia over the last 20 years, had successfully created one of the most respected high-end jewelry brands for celebrities, collectors, and auction houses.”
Curtis said in an Email to The Grand at 101: “When I asked her why she bought the Cinema building, her response was this – she was very surprised that a building in the downtown core of Elora with noted historic relevance was left in such bad shape and that the developers who had purchased the historic Commercial Hotel had no intention of preserving the Cinema. She explained that during her time living in Europe, she recognized how important it was to preserve heritage. How preserving the story of the past gives that shared story meaning and value. It helps future generations develop a sense of belonging to a space, an environment which in turn creates community. And of course, she couldn’t bear the idea of the Cinema closing its doors, as the space and its films had a huge impact on her growing up in Fergus and Elora. ”
Curtis was assured that there are going to be lengthy renovations for the building and that the Cinema will have a home in it.
Curtis says he is very grateful to announce that “The Cinema is here to stay and that the building will be restored to its former mid-19th-century historic glory, reflecting its original beauty as captured by AJ Casson of the Group of 7 painters.”
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Curtis would like to thank the community for the continued support:
The Gorge Cinema will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2024.
(Interview done both through phone and email with The Grand at 101)
