Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Cinematic history under the dome

Stories were told here
Toronto, ON
May 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram


This is the Cinesphere, which was the world’s first permanent IMAX theatre when it opened in 1971.

Now closed for renovations, the triodetic dome wears its years with a somewhat tired grace that betrays its legacy as a launchpad for a once-state-of-the-art example of Canadian technology.

It sits silently on an artificial island in Lake Ontario, part of Ontario Place, itself a once-shimmering example of future-focused public space now being rebuilt as a spa for silver-spooned friends of the province’s Premier Doug Ford.

The grift, here and everywhere else, is real. And under a cool, damp sky, it’s easy to feel pangs of regret at what’s been lost. But this once-gleaming inspiration could yet gleam again if we allow it.

Because hope is a difficult thing to give up. Here and everywhere.

#toronto #ontario #canada #yyz #cinesphere #dome #ontarioplace #building #architecture #architecturephotography #buildingporn #architectureporn #downtown #monochrome #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography

Related:
Disney memories, April 2022
Oratory. Longshot. January 2019
Geodesic, May 2006

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