The Art of Magic

Take an exclusive outdoor tour thanks to historical images from the Museum’s collections.

Using your phone, explore the various tours and discover the history of many city sites and images that bear witness to the Montreal of the past.

The Golden Age of Magic (1880-1930) was a significant period for popular entertainment in Montreal. From the early 19^th to the early 20^th century, Montreal was home to nearly fifty theatres and performance halls, many of which presented magic shows. Between 1882 and 1934, Montreal welcomed Alexander and Adelaide Herrman, Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston and Harry Blackstone, as well as Houdini and his famous “Water Torture Cell” illusion.

Step into the past and discover 13 Montreal magic venues through The Art of Magic tour.

1. Her (His) Majesty Theatre

Her Majesty’s Theatre (sometimes known as His Majesty’s, depending on the sitting monarch in the United Kingdom) opened in 1898 and remained in operation for nearly 65 years. In the 1940s, magicians Harry Blackstone (1885‐1965) and Dante (1883-1955) performed in its immense hall on numerous occasions. The theatre was torn down in 1963, the year that Place des Arts opened.

2. Windsor Hall

Adjoining the hotel of the same name, Windsor Hall was built in 1890 and torn down in 1906. The site of numerous musical events, this 1,300-seat hall also welcomed various speakers. American medium Anna Eva Fay (1851‐1927) performed there in 1899 and was so popular she had to book additional shows.

3. Loew’s Theatre

During a 1933 visit to Montreal, Howard Thurston (1869‐1936), the new king of magic in North America, appeared at the Loew’s Theatre. Built on St. Catherine Street in 1917, the Loew’s was, at that time, Montreal’s largest theatre with over 3,000 seats. The theatre closed in 1975, and since then the building has housed a variety of businesses.

4. Academy of Music / Queen’s Theatre

In 1875, the Academy of Music opened its doors on Victoria Street, just north of St. Catherine Street, while in 1880, the Queen’s Hall was built nearby, on St. Catherine Street. Originally a concert hall, it was renamed the Queen’s Theatre when it was converted into a theatre in 1891. These neighbouring performance halls took turns hosting some of the greatest magicians in America, like Alexander Herrmann (1844‐1896) and Harry Kellar (1849‐1922).

5. McGill Student Union

Harry Houdini (1874‐1926), considered the greatest magician of all time, used to give lectures denouncing the deceptive practices of Spiritualists. In the fall of 1926, one such talk was held in the McGill Union Ballroom, in the very same building that currently houses the McCord Stewart Museum!

6. Orpheum Theatre

Harry Houdini (1874‐1926) gave at least four series of shows in Montreal: in 1911, 1915, 1925 and 1926. His first two appearances were at the Orpheum Theatre on St. Catherine Street, which opened in 1907 as the Bennett Theatre before being renamed in 1910 when it joined the Orpheum Circuit, a chain of vaudeville theatres for which Houdini headlined.

7. Imperial Theatre

Built in 1917 by the Keith-Albee Vaudeville Organization of New York, the Imperial was initially part of the B. F. Keith Circuit, a chain of theatres belonging to Benjamin Franklin Keith (1846-1914), an influential figure in the evolution of variety theatre into vaudeville. In 1925, Houdini headlined a vaudeville program for an entire week at this De Bleury Street theatre.

8. Théâtre Français

Opened in 1884, the Théâtre Français, despite its name, primarily presented popular entertainments and vaudeville shows in English. In 1897, the theatre hosted a vaudeville show whose bill included young magician Charles Carter (1874‐1936), and in 1918, medium Eva Fay (1872?‐1931) appeared there. After several name changes, the theatre became the Metropolis in 1986.

9. Royal‐Hays Theatre

In 1847, German magician Herr Alexander (1819‐1909) appeared at the Royal‐Hays Theatre. In 1850, the theatre welcomed French prestidigitator Mons. Adrian, who had been a regular visitor to Montreal since the early 1840s. The theatre was on Dalhousie Square, in the hotel of the same name, but was completely destroyed by the Great Fire of 1852.

10. Royal-Molson Theatre

In 1840, the renowned Signor Blitz took the stage at the Royal Theatre on St. Paul Street. Born in England, Antonio Van Zandt (1810-1877), known as Signor Blitz of Moravia, was an accomplished magician, ventriloquist and juggler. Considered Montreal’s preeminent theatre throughout the 19^th century, the “Royal Theatre” was in fact the name of four theatres that opened successively on different sites between 1825 and 1913.

11. Mechanics hall

Mechanics Hall occupied the second floor of the Mechanics’ Institute and was one of Montreal’s leading cultural centres during the latter half the 19^th century. Opened in 1856, Mechanics Hall initially hosted only concerts and magic shows. It then welcomed vaudeville and minstrel shows in the 1870s. It was converted into a museum in 1885.

12. Odd Fellows’ Hall

In June 1846, French magician Phillippe (1802‐1878) settled in Montreal for three months, where he performed his “amusing magic tricks” at the Odd Fellows’ Hall on St. Jacques Street. In 1856, piano company Nordheimer bought the building and kept the hall as a venue for magic shows. Converted into a theatre in 1879, it was heavily damaged by fire in the mid-1880s. The current Nordheimer building dates from 1886.

13. Bonaventure Hall