Colonial Tavern
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.jpg) Empty lot on Yonge Street that once held the Colonial Tavern. | |
 Interactive map of Colonial Tavern | |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°39′12″N 79°22′46″W / 43.6534°N 79.3794°W |
| Type | Tavern and Jazz venue |
| Event | Jazz |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1950s |
| Closed | 1970s |
The Colonial Tavern was one of the most famous jazz venues in Canada from the 1950s till its closure in the late 1970s. It was located at 201–203 Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario (now an open lot between 197 Yonge Street and 205 Yonge Street) where a historic plaque (now removed) remembered this key jazz venue. The Colonial Tavern was owned and managed by brothers-in-law Mike (Myer) G. Lawrence, Goodwin (Goody) and Harvey Lichtenberg. 197–199 Yonge Street (the former Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce building) and 201–203 Yonge Street were purchased by Sal Parasuco of Montreal, Quebec, who planned to erect a hotel. The properties were sold to MOD Developments of Toronto in January 2012 for the Massey Tower condo project[1][2]
Jazz musicians played on the ground floor on a raised stage along one wall beneath a disco ball. The stage could also be seen from the balcony dining area. Musicians had a green room at the back and at times stayed in apartments on the floor above.
It was a venue for soloists and small ensembles. Big bands performed either at the Imperial Room at the Royal York, in Massey Hall, or at various venues on the Toronto waterfront, including the Palais Royale, the CNE Bandshell, and the Palace Pier.
Concerts were often recorded by CJRT's jazz disk jockey, Ted O'Reilly, and were broadcast on Saturday mornings with interviews of musicians discussing their performances and memories. Some of these interviews are in the Toronto Metropolitan University archives.