User:(WT-en) Wec

24 King Street North in Uptown Waterloo has been the home to local entertainment since 1937. Opening on March 12, 1937, the "Waterloo Theatre" was built by the Premier Operating Corporation who also operated the "Lyric" and "Capitol" theatres in Kitchener. Hailed as a marvel in its day, it was built for the princely sum of $80,000. The theatre opened with "The Luckiest Girl in the World", featuring Jane Wyatt and Louis Hayward on a twin bill, and "Sing Baby, Sing" featuring Adolphe Menjou, Alice Fay and the Ritz Brothers. Continuing to show films until the late 50's, the building became the home to St. John's Lutheran Church for three years after a fire destroyed the church's former space. Odeon took over the building again in the mid 60's and operated as a cinema until 1997 when Cineplex Odeon closed it down.

The building became home to live theatre for several seasons until the spring of 2005.

In the fall of 2005, several local business operators took the building under their wing and rehabilitated the physical plant and all public areas in the building to bring the jewel back to its 1937 glory. The theatre was re-named the Waterloo Entertainment Centre. It now serves as the home to regional and national performers eager to entertain in the Waterloo Region, and hosts its own company, Theatre Athena. The Waterloo Entertainment Centre is also available to community groups interested in leasing a private and elegant space for a variety of functions.