By the end of this year the Paramount Theatre will have a new lease on life, a small quick service restaurant and a larger brew pub.

Ronmor Developers out of Calgary embarked on redeveloping the 70 year old theatre last year and according to the company鈥檚 vice president Doug Porozni, it was a 鈥渟ignificant task.鈥�

The concrete floor that was walked on for the better part of a century and everything above it has slowly been dismantled.

The only thing that鈥檚 stayed put is the iconic marquee.

鈥淭he city wanted to keep that historic piece of 琉璃神社,鈥� said Porozni, adding that it was a good decision.

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It also wouldn鈥檛 have been that easy to get rid of it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 concrete poured into the ground, and it wasn鈥檛 going to move easily,鈥� he said.

As they jack-hammered away the remnants of the theatre, however, they did have to support the structure, which is obvious from a street level observation.

That wasn鈥檛 the only challenge. All around the theatre are historic buildings, so construction crews had to do their best to dismantle while not destroying.

And, while they did, there were a few artifacts salvaged to add character to the new projects, said Porozni.

鈥淲e鈥檙e bringing back some of the elements,鈥� he said. 鈥淢etal sliding doors and theatre seats are two items being used in the quick service restaurant.鈥�

Beyond that, however, the new leessee will decide how the building will turn out and they鈥檒l embark on installing fixtures in May.

Porozni said that while the project has had its challenges, it was ultimately a lot of fun to complete.

He won鈥檛, however, reveal who the new tenants are just yet.