Armond Theatre - Cranbrook

12/10/2022

We've been observing Radio Silence for many months now, and we apologize for leaving all of the Armond Theatre's supporters on a digital hook. We wanted to wait until we had something exciting to say, and it's taken this long - so sorry.

Why the long wait? To be honest: at this phase of the project, the Armond Theatre is still a Commercial Renovation Project, and not a functional Performing Arts Centre. Since April 2022 we've had to glumly flip on the standby switch and anxiously twiddle our thumbs while our Engineer and our Architect finalize the blueprints for our Interior Remodeling schemes, as well as undertake a very lengthy Building Code Review with Cranbrook City Engineering. Did we mention "very lengthy?" Longer than we had anticipated.

Regardless, our news is still good. Our above-mentioned Engineer and Architect are only weeks away from wrapping up their work, at long last. It's then can we can present our application for the Interior Building Permit to the Powers That Be at Cranbrook City Engineering - and once they give us the Green Light, then that's when we can run wild on the Interior...the Fun Stuff!

So please keep your Good Wishes alive for us for a while longer. They don't make it easy - or fast - to take a building that was allowed to fall into neglect as an abandoned derelict and coax it back into life. We're not in a hurry to fail. Neither should you.

Happy Holidays to You and Yours. Please Stay Tuned for further exciting updates in the weeks to come.

Sincerely,
the Armond Theatre.

03/07/2022

Big Hugs and Big Thanks to Pamela Currie and James Farnan for covering our project in their latest webisode of "Dolly & Associates!"

Lights, Camera, Air Guitar! Local musician and theatre restorator Ferdy Belland walks Dolly through the revitalization of Cranbrook's own historical landmark...

02/22/2022

Hello Everybody! Just wanted to give everyone an update on our progress with Armond Theatre renovations. We finally completed the last bit of the required structural upgrades to the building's roof just before Christmas, so since the New Year began we've been working closely with our Nelson BC-based engineering team to accelerate the electrical / plumbing / HVAC needs within the Armond. Once those are underway, we can then get serious about interior remodeling and the like. Nobody told us this was going to be easy - or quick - but rest assured that we are indeed moving forward, inch by inch, headache by headache. More to share in the weeks to come! Thank you all for your continuing enthusiasm, encouragement, and support of our project. :)

12/17/2021

I've had the past two years to endlessly marvel at just how much the Armond Theatre's structural shell is nothing less than Cranbrook BC's answer to an Ancient Edifice - or, to use a more modern metaphor: the Diefenbunker. The building is what we in the construction trades call a Monolithic Concrete Pour - nobody builds like that anymore, and even in 1952 the method was becoming few and far between. Massive concrete walls 33ft high, 120ft long, 8 inches thick. Most of the interior walls and floors are also cast from concrete as oversized pony-walls or suspended slabs. Our structural engineer actually belly-laughed out loud when he scanned the concrete with some Hilti gizmo that looked exactly like Dr. McCoy's tricorder - the interior rebar within the walls are placed at 2-inch centres, horizontally and vertically, and there are two mats of rebar everywhere. Yes, you read that right: 2-inch centres, and it is as startling and impressive as it sounds; the rebar mats look more like mosquito nets than concrete reinforcement (the aggregate within the concrete is also 2-inch-minus, for those who know what I'm talking about). The only way the Armond Theatre is coming down is either through tactical air strike - or natural erosion. If someone wanted to build just the shell of the Armond Theatre in modern construction costs, they'd be looking at $900,000 in concrete and about $200,000 in rebar. Armond Blaine wasn't dicking around when he first built the theatre - he was going for fireproofing, sound containment, and just plain eternal durability, and Boy Howdy did Mr. Blaine ever achieve his goals. Our aforementioned structural engineer joked about how 5000 years from now, future human archeologists will sift though the ruins of the Lost City of Cranbrook and the only structures left standing will be the Armond Theatre - and the old Bottling Plant by the 7-11. In the meantime, if the Idaho National Guard ever decided to annex Cranbrook, at least the Armond Theatre can become the Alamo. In the meantime, my partners Spencer Kerr and Casey Wright (along with my trusty workmates Roman Cheetham and Kaleb Brunton) continue to plug away at creating what will become the Key City's premier multi-purpose performing arts centre. And here's an interesting article which draws parallels to what we deal with at the glorious Armond on a daily basis. 🙂

https://www.science.org/content/article/why-modern-mortar-crumbles-roman-concrete-lasts-millennia?fbclid=IwAR3nbAH8k1XWV57c4RIJWdFpPXCsAeO78qrGx-jgMNkqT6qEjyENk6Jkdbg

Seawater is the secret behind the strength of the Pantheon and Colosseum

09/21/2021

Big Thanks to Stuart Derdeyn of the Vancouver Sun for his gracious coverage of our ongoing efforts to restore and reopen the good old Armond Theatre in Downtown Cranbrook! :)

A revitalization project for a derelict cinema in Downtown Cranbrook might kick-off a new entertainment district.

09/05/2021

Big Thanks to Ryley McCormick and 2DayFm for their wonderful coverage of our project! :)

The iconic Armond Theatre sits on a piece of property with a long legacy in entertainment, as the lot was once home ... more ›

08/20/2021

Big Thanks to Barry Coulter at the Cranbrook Townsman for his ongoing support and very kind coverage of our project's progress at the good old Armond Theatre. :)

Four 4,700-pound beams will support roof structure, add 300 years to theatre’s lifespan

08/20/2021

Big Thanks to Black Press TV for their very kind coverage of Big Beams Day! :)

08/20/2021

Big Thanks to Dennis Walker for his very kind coverage of Big Beams Day! :)

The historic Armond Theatre in downtown Cranbrook is being resurrected by a group of private investors since it’s purchase last January. Sunday ... more ›

08/20/2021

Big Thanks to Austin Lee at CTV Lethbridge for his very kind television coverage of Big Beams Day! :)

Resuscitating the Armond Theatre seemed like an impossible task to most people living in Cranbrook, B.C., but for Ferdy Belland — a local musician and bassist for Bif Naked — and his two business partners Spencer Kerr and Casey Wright, leaving the nearly 70-year-old venue to die wasn't an option...

08/20/2021

Big Thanks to Ian Cobb at e-Know for his kind coverage of Big Beams Day! :)

Armond renovation takes massive step forward

08/15/2021

Going live to share the action! First attempt at a live video here on fb so hopefully this goes well and those who want to join in and see what's happening at the Armond Theater can...in real time or later! Enjoy the show!

08/15/2021

It's BEAM DAY!!
The road is closed, the beams are on site and the crane is setting up!
We will be attempting a live video or 2 during the lifts this morning.

08/15/2021

These fellas are beaming as the beams made their way onto the truck Friday! TNT (True Newfie Trucking) was there to grab the load after finished working their magic! One step closer!

08/12/2021

There's a lot of organization and work to be done in preparation for including...transportation, welding, the lift, permits and road closures...just to name a few.
Here's a sneak peak of the beams which are being prepped as I write this!

05/06/2021

Tune in this afternoon at 3:00pm MST where Ferdy talks abut ongoing developments with the Armond Theatre, as well as his other favorite subjects (housecats, prog-metal, black wardrobes, life with Bif Naked, mixing imitation crab meat into Kraft Dinner, etc.)! :)