Cultural Institution Battles Suburban Blight

Brampton, Ontario, was once a sleepy small town. But now with a population of almost 400,000, Brampton officials have decided that the city can no longer grow as a suburb, but must embrace its city status. One way to do so has been the construction of a brand new performing arts theater.

"And so, in the 21st century, prompted by an atavistic desire to have a there there, the Bramptons of the world are engaged in a vain effort to create a sense of place. These days that typically means building cultural institutions — theatres, galleries, museums and the like."

"For Brampton it means the Rose Theatre. Constructed, appropriately, on the site of an existing underground parking lot, the 880-seat venue sits metres from the city's 'Four Corners' at Queen and Main Sts., the centre of old Brampton. Even now, the area still boasts a few 19th-century buildings, which though not necessarily grand, at least possess character, something entirely absent from the vast bulk of contemporary architecture."