Bijou (Strand) Theatre - 2/8 Kimball & 2/4 Robert-Morton
Nanaimo, B.C.
20 Commercial St.

Organ installation timeframes:

Kimball: Robert-Morton:

1909 - 1916 1922 -

 
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Commercial St. showing the Bijou Theatre (right), c.1917
 
According to Joe Vogel posting to cinematreasures.com, the theatre opened on January 22, 1912 as the Orpheum Theatre. The house was renamed Bijou Theatre on February 5, 1914. It was taken over by the Famous Players circuit in late-1935, when it was renamed the Strand Theatre. The theatre closed in 1958. After being used for some time as a furniture store, the building was demolished.
 

Postcard image, c.1917
 
The PSTOS Bill Bunch/Eugene Nye records indicate a 2/8 Kimball was installed at the Bijou in 1909. The Junchen opus lists show that a 2/4 Kimball was installed in 1922. It's likely both of these entries are correct as a 1916 The Moving Picture World article (below) describes the decision to move the Bijou's organ (it would have been the Kimball at that time) to Vancouver's Broadway Theatre. Fate of the 1922 Robert-Morton instrument is unknown.
 

News item in The Moving Picture World September 16, 1916, page 1873
 

c.1955
 

c.1957
 

Thanks to rivest266 @ cinemtreasures for finding these historic clippings from the Nanaimo Daily News.
 
 

News item from the Nanaimo Daily News January 22, 1912 announcing the Orpheum Theatre opening that evening. Click for a larger version.
 

Grand Opening of the Bijou Theatre, February 5, 1914
 

News item from the Nanaimo Daily News November 25, 1936 announcing the name change from Bijou to Strand and plan to move signage from Vancouver's Strand Theatre to the Nanaimo Strand. It is not known if the sign move actually took place.
 

News item from the Nanaimo Daily News February 4, 1958 announcing the sale of the Strand Theatre building to the owners of the neighboring Fletchers store

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