Palais Royale
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Palais Royale is a dance hall located at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario Canada on Lake Ontario. As of June 2006, it has re-opened to the public.
It was built in 1922 as part of Sunnyside Amusement Park on infill dredged from the lake by the Toronto Harbor Commissioners. It was designed by the architectural firm of Chapman, Oxley & Bishop, the same architects who designed the Sunnyside bathing pavilion.
The Palais originally operated as Dean’s Sunnyside Pleasure Boats, a canoe boat-building factory and a supplier to the local Parkdale canoe club, now known as the Boulevard Club. Although Dean’s Pleasure Boats was successful for some time, it eventually went out of business and the Palais became a dance hall.
In 1932 Bill Cuthbert and George Deller took over the Palais Royale and this was the period of its greatest popularity. 'Big bands' such as Duke Ellington and Count Basie, Paul Whiteman and the Dorsey Brothers played there. The largest audience was in 1933, when 3000 people danced to Eddie Duchin's Park Central Orchestra from New York.
Admission was 10 cents plus five cents a dance. Only soft drinks were available and certain dances, such as the jitterbug, were forbidden as they were considered too risqué. Dances were held six nights a week (dancing was not allowed on Sundays).
After Sunnyside Amusement Park was demolished for the Gardiner Expressway and Lakeshore Boulevard expansions, Palais Royale fell into decline and it is now in the ownership of the City of Toronto, which rents it for special occasions. It was a film location for the 1990 film "Queen of Mean", and recently hosted a Rolling Stones concert.
The hall recently underwent renovations in a public-private partnership. Critics of the renovation denounced the new design for its destruction of major architectural elements and inept approximation of historical stylings. Detractors claim the new design uses many contemporary and Art Deco elements which are anachronistic on a building of this era. Supporters tout the security of its contemporized design, one more likely to attract paying customers and ensure future maintenance, and ultimately, the existence of the structure. In addition to the design controversy, local groups are opposing the restoration of the facility's parking lot, which was removed in 1966 and replaced by grass and trees.
The hall was famous for its floor, which flexes according to the dancers' weight upon it, with the idea being that this would be very comfortable on the feet. It is claimed to be Canada's only remaining original ballroom with a cantilever - sprung hardwood dance floor. The current floor is much smaller than the original, and is apparently modeled on the Rainbow Room in New York City. The floor is alleged to still be supported by the original cantilever design.
The floor springing issue has become a matter of debate, with some reviewers of late claiming that the floor had never actually been sprung in the first place. This claim seems to be based on the fact that the restoration crews did not find any springs during their recent work on the floor. However, those who were patrons of the Palais during the late 1980s can attest that the floor was indeed sprung at that time, with the springs in plain view, in a straight line running above the downstairs coat-check counter and along walls in the washrooms. By about 2002, the springs had become notable by their absence. So in spite of what has been stated in the reviews, the legendary cantilever-springing did exist. (Dancing on that floor was a truly amazing experience, which younger generations will unfortunately be denied.) But the springs have since been removed, probably during the 1990s, possibly as a means of skimping on maintenance costs.
