Who will take over the Olde Walkerville Theatre? Iconic venue up for sale

If you've ever dreamed of owning a theatre, here's a grand opportunity: The Olde Walkerville Theatre is up for sale.

Current owner Mary Lambros says the deal is for the venue in its entirety: Stage, rigging, lights and all.

"End of an era," Lambros told CBC. "And it's an opportunity for somebody to create a new era."

November will be the theatre's last month of operation under Lambros. After 11 years of ownership, she's putting it on the market.

But she has no intention of selling its contents separately. Her hope is that prospective buyers will want to continue the building's legacy as a live entertainment venue.

"I think they'd be silly not to keep it a theatre, because it has so much potential. It's a working place," Lambros explained. "It's going to be turnkey-ready. If somebody comes to me and says, 'Mary, I'd like to start January 1 — Go for it."

Lambros bought the property at 1564 Wyandotte St. East in 2013, after it had sat unused for years. She invested heavily in refurbishing and re-equipping the theatre 

Since then, the 900-person capacity location has hosted hundreds of events, offering a huge variety of entertainment: Concerts of every genre, musicals and theatrical plays, film screenings, weddings and even funerals.

Lambros said she's proud to have provided a showcase for talent, from amateurs to pros, and to have established a cultural centrepiece in Walkerville.

The theatre dates back to 1918. It was designed by architect C. Howard Crane, who would go on to design Detroit's iconic Fox Theatre.

Following Lambros' revitalization, the Olde Walkerville Theatre had Juno-winning singer Lights grace its stage in 2015. Legendary Windsor-raised rock trio The Tea Party played there the same year, and homegrown duo The Blue Stones launched their most recent album there in 2022.

According to Lambros — who owns multiple companies including investment firm Integrite Group — profitability was not a consideration for her when it came to the Olde Walkerville Theatre.

"Walkerville is based on a very unique community feel, an old neighbourhood type of idea," she said. "And I thought having an old theatre there and reviving it would be a great thing."

"For me, it's been wonderful. I met so many great people... I never did it to make money from it. It's never been that kind of thing from me."

Lambros hopes to finalize a sale in 2025. But as of Dec. 1, the theatre will be dark.

The announcement is being met with some sadness from Windsor's music and arts scene. Lambros said she's heard from many people with great memories of shows over the past decade.

Grace 2, a London and Toronto-based tribute band to The Tragically Hip, has played the Olde Walkerville Theatre four times — including last weekend, when the closing date was revealed via an on-stage graphic.

Andy Wehrspann, Grace 2's frontman, said it was a bittersweet experience — the high of having a sold-out crowd sing along, while sharing the uncertainty of the venue's future.

"The energy that we would get in that theatre was second to none, for sure," Wehrspann said fondly.

"It's a sense of loss, because we always knew that when we put a show up, and we were going to come play the Walkerville, it was going to be packed, and it was going to be a party."

"Maybe someone will buy it and keep it as a music venue. Which would be great — I hope that happens... I just don't want to see theatres closing."