After years of sitting in seats with tiring foam for cushions and rusted metal framing, ByTowne Cinema frequenters can now look forward to more comfortable seating in the auditorium.
The ByTowne, on Rideau Street, was under renovation between May 6 and 16. The cinema reopened on May 17 with freshly painted walls, new carpets and most importantly, brand new seats.
The renovations had been a long time coming, said Megan McLeod, head of media relations for the ByTowne Cinema.The previous seats were purchased second-hand in 2000 and have since worn out.
“The seats were controversial right from the start,” said Bruce White, the owner of the ByTowne Cinema.
And the cinema had received a few complaints about the seats being uncomfortable, McLeod said.
“The seats had reached the end of their life span,” White added.
In addition to replacing seats, the renovations included painting the walls yellow with gold trim, and replacing the carpets. When doing this kind of project, said McLeod, there were no halfway measures. It was a convenient time to paint and redo the carpets because the seats were already being replaced, she said.
The renovation dates for the ByTowne Cinema were strategically chosen to coincide with the construction being done on Rideau Street. They were originally supposed to take place in October, but were delayed until May.
Still, undergoing the renovations during the construction on Rideau Street made it more difficult for trucks involved in the renovation process to access the building, she said. But, she said she felt that this was the best time for the theatre to undergo the changes.
The reopening of the ByTowne Cinema on May 17 featured the highly requested Canadian film, Still Mine, and the adventure film, Kon-Tiki. The films are quite different, White said, but “it was a deliberate choice.”
Many ByTownians had requested Still Mine, said McLeod. She stressed the strong lineup would allow for the cinema to come back from its renovations with a bang.
