THE HEART OF THE CITY

CAESAR'S RESTAURANT

30 King Street East 
IMAGE: Ceasar's Restaurant (45062 bytes)
IMAGE: button(490 bytes)CURRENT STATUS (1999)
Present Owner: 140532 Ontario Inc., Hamilton
Present Use: Dante's Restaurant
Heritage Status:  Listed on the City's Inventory of Buildings of Architectural and / or Historical Interest
Locally Significant Date: High Victorian

IMAGE: button(490 bytes)BUILDING INFORMATION
Date Built: 1874
Original Owner: Mrs. Edward Gourlay
Original Use: T. Bickle & Son, wholesale drug business
Subsequent Uses: Various wholesale / retail / service businesses, including Howell Bros.; Caesar's Restaurant
Previous Building on Site: Three-storey (possibly incorporated into present building)

IMAGE: button(490 bytes)ARCHITECTURE
Size: Four-storeys
Design and Style: High Victorian
Architect, Builder: Unknown
Construction Materials: Brick masonry with 1970s brick and stone front; sheet metal cornice
Architectural Integrity: Poor (entire facade except for cornice altered; second and third storeys probably altered for a new fur store in 1919; entire facade remodelled for restaurant in 1974)  
Architectural Features: Surviving bracketed cornice; in 1870s form, featured a flamboyant high Victorian Facade).  

IMAGE: White Grill Restaurant (15865 bytes)Caesar's Restaurant, also known as the Penthouse Dinner Theatre, is located at 30 King Street East. The establishment has served as both a restaurant and dinner theatre over the years. In 1984, under the direction of the then new manager, David Sebastian Bach, the restaurant and business both received a facelift. The waiters dressed in black tuxedos were replaced with attractive ladies in short Roman-style costumes, the interior was decorated with a rich brown and gold décor, and the second floor of the building was to serve as a combination restaurant and lounge where patrons could mingle with actors after the shows.

Bach also desired to have the restaurant move away from "the artsy image of theatre." As he said:  "We’re trying to develop a style that is good clean fun –for the most part comedies, because I don’t think people want too much in the way of serious entertainment when they come out for dinner. I think they want to laugh and enjoy themselves." (Spectator, July 4, 1984).

Over the years, performances at Caesar's restaurant have included "Try-Angles", "Babel Rap", "The Station", and many others.   In August of 1999, Caesar's restaurant changed hands and is now known as Dante's Restaurant.

REFERENCES:
Clipping File - Hamilton - Restaurants - Caesar's Restaurant. Special Collections, HPL.
LACAC Research Files.  Planning Department, City Hall.

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