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The historic Palais Royale originally opened in 1922 as part of Sunnyside Beach by Lake Ontario. A boat factory occupied the basement and the ground floor from the lake side. The second floor or ground floor from the front was a dance hall.
Throughout the 1930s, the Palais Royale hosted the classic big bands. The legendary Glen Miller, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Paul Whitman, and the Dorsey Brothers had them doing swing and more.
In 1933, some 3000 people packed the place for New York's Eddie Duchin's Park Central Orchestra. And from 1933 to 1950, some seventeen years, Palais Royale had a house band, Bert "Canada's King of Swing" Niosi. During the Second World War - 1939-1945, the Palais Royale stayed open 24-7 / around-the-clock to occupy and entertain war industry shift workers.
In 1974, the City of Toronto declared The Palais Royale a historic site. Along with the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion, Palais Royale is the last vestige of what was Toronto's historic Sunnyside Beach and Amusement Park.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a new generation of now legendary musicians including Oscar Peterson, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, The Carlton Show Band, The Specials, Joe Jackson and Rough Trade, Blur, Blue Rodeo, Sigur Rós, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Sadies, Constantines, Sloan, The Rolling Stones played the Palais Royale.
The Palais Royale underwent modification and some re-construction sometime after 2005. The back terrace was rebuilt, windows were replaced.
The historic wood dance floor was reduced by almost half, to an oval in front of the stage with the rest of the venue carpeted over. Today, the Palais Royale, the last of the three legendary dance halls on Toronto's waterfront, is a premium priced venue available for events.
Palais Royale