Palais Royale Reopens After $3.5 Million Makeover

Hundreds flocked to the Palais Royale at Sunnyside Wednesday night as the iconic structure officially unveiled the results of its $3.5 million makeover.

It took a year and a half of non-stop work to get the aging building ready for its grand re-opening and those in attendance believe it was worth the wait.

The event was dedicated to a local legend, who helped the club live up that infamous phrase, ‘the joint is jumpin’.

“We have a big band here. The first number is dedicated to Bert Niosi, who used to be the bandleader here for 18 years,” explains the club’s Mary Lou Borg. “Lots of people loved him here.”

His daughter believes her dad would have been honoured by the accolade. 

“Lots of people fell in love here and got married while he was playing in the band and it made him very happy,” Roberta Baldwin agrees. “He was just an all-around great guy.”

The building is a place that many Toronto baby boomers have heard their parents and grandparents rave about. And those who recall its glory days say there’s good reason for that.

The dance hall first opened in 1922, and survived a World War, endless ownership changes and even the dismantling of Sunnyside Amusement Park to make way for the Gardiner Expressway.

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