MONTREAL - The ancient Egyptian themed bas relief motifs on NDG's historic Empress Theatre reflect an era that might seem as long ago as when the building on Sherbrooke acted as a real theatre.
The long-moribund landmark has recently become borough property after another group failed to come up with a plan to get it back into operation.
The borough, in turn, has sought proposals to turn it into a self-sustaining operation with a cultural mandate.
The latest of many proposals to rehabilitate the venerable old property just west of Girouard, presented at a meeting Wednesday evening, would see investors turn it into "the Empress Analog Institute."
Or more precisely, "A centre really dedicated to analog methodologies and technologies," in the words of Andre Habib, a Universite de Montreal Film Professor who attended the meeting.
"The idea would also to be to develop an archive that would preserve these works that are extremely important and a place that would disseminate films on a regular basis and would be devoted to this type of cinema would be extremely original," said Habib.
It would also contain a rooftop bar and café and a venue for musicians.
"It's a very unique thing the concept of having bands that are able to come here," said local artist Scott McLoed. "This is a great opportunity for burgeoning bands - who knows who you may get if you provide such a space."
The group proposing the centre says that it has legitimate investors ready to pony up the estimated $6 million required to put the plan in motion.
