When the doors open Thursday to the reborn Paradise Theatre on Bloor Street West, it will be like returning home for Moray Tawse, the man who made this unlikely event happen.

The Toronto real estate mogul, winemaker and now entertainment impresario purchased and restored the 1930s Art Deco theatre because it reminded him of the long-ago Biltmore Weston Theatre on Weston Road. He spent many a happy day there as a young child, watching movies while his mother worked at the candy counter.

“She would work sometimes 12-hour shifts at the candy bar,” Tawse, 62, said in an interview.

“And I would have to go and be babysat when I was five or six, by sitting in those movies, watching them. So there’s an affinity to this, because movies were really important to my past history. They offered escapism, as well as a way of seeing the world.”

He knows he’s swimming against the tide by reopening the Paradise, a single-screen theatre attempting to compete against not only multiplex theatres but also the ongoing shift to online movie streaming. A big multiplex further west on Bloor, Humber Cinemas, closed its doors this past summer, a victim of changing times and the city’s condo boom.

Tawse doesn’t care. The Paradise is a passion project for him, not a cold business proposition. And although he’s a lifelong movie buff, he’s crafted the theatre to also be an event space for live music, comedy and talk shows, with other enticements including a restaurant, bar and bakery to open in early 2020.

“It’s mine. It was my idea and I’m building it around what I would like to see and what I like to do, and what my friends like to do. I can afford to do that.”

Tawse cut no corners and spared no expense to realize his vision, but he said he won’t reveal any dollar amounts “because it would be too embarrassing — I would be thought to be a stupid business person. It makes no economic sense whatsoever, and I’m OK with that.”

He’s more than OK with how the Paradise was reborn, after almost being turned into a pharmacy by a previous owner following its closure in 2006. The current structure, designated a heritage building, opened in 1937 but the site on the north side of Bloor at Westmoreland Avenue has been used for movie exhibition since 1910.

The rebuilt theatre has two fully retractable screens, the bigger one with 4K digital projection and spanning 27 feet wide. The acoustics are also state of the art. Refinements have been added to assist visitors who have visual and hearing challenges.

“We’re pretty kitted out, as far as accessibility goes,” said Jessica Smith, the Paradise’s director of programming.

Movies screened will be mostly second-run and classic cinema, including a series called “7 From ’37,” featuring hits from Hollywood’s Golden Era. But Tawse has struck a deal with streaming giant Netflix to show current movies that are also available online, including the Oscar-buzzed “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story,” because he believes movie lovers still really want the big-screen experience.

Tawse is especially proud of the theatre’s seats, which are made of leather and designed by a company he chose on a visit to Spain. Boasting generous legroom, there are 208 of them: 186 on the ground floor (regular tickets go for $14), plus 22 premium ones on the balcony ($19 apiece, which includes in-seat food and drink service). With standing room added for live shows, maximum capacity is 312 people.

The first five rows of seats can be folded into the floor for live shows, such as the “The Basement Revue,” hosted by Broken Social Scene singer/songwriter Jason Collett, which runs opening night and on every Thursday this month. It features a surprise lineup that in previous incarnations has included author Margaret Atwood performing with The Sadies band, and singer/songwriter Feist backing up author Michael Ondaatje. The first three of the four shows at the Paradise have already sold out, Smith said.

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Another popular attraction is “The Reporters with Dave Hodge,” the long-running hockey talk show that left TV in 2017 but which Tawse wants to revive as a regular live event, including streaming and podcasting.

The concession stand in the lobby is shaped to resemble a classic Toronto streetcar. And for the theatre’s official reopening ceremonies this week, Tawse arranged to have automobiles from 1937 parked out front and also vintage movie spotlights to showcase the theatre’s Art Deco appeal and promote the classy look and feel he wants to maintain.

“It won’t be a rave bar,” he vowed. “We’ve put a lot of money into renovating the place and I want it to stay high end.”

Tawse said it was “a nightmare” getting through the many layers of bureaucracy at Toronto City Hall to get approval to add a second floor and restaurants to the Paradise. There was another setback a few weeks ago, over the Thanksgiving weekend, when an errant fire sprinkler inside the theatre caused water damage to the screens, lights and sound equipment, necessitating costly replacements.

Tawse credits Ana Bailão, the local councillor and one of Toronto’s deputy mayors, for helping to shepherd the project through many difficult days — he’d originally hoped to open the Paradise a year ago.

“We were trying to do something great and it just seems the city loved to put roadblocks in. Ana kept going to bat for us — and we called her too many times! I think that’s the problem with the city and Toronto as a rule. It takes too long to get anything done.”

Bailão lives near the Paradise and said Tawse worked wonders not only in reviving the theatre, but also allaying fears of people living in the surrounding Bloorcourt neighbourhood that they might be getting a noisy nightclub in their midst.

“This is true and special — a gift,” she said of the revived theatre.

“There were challenges, including the heritage designation, that added to the complexity of the approval process. However, we as a community along with city staff and the owner worked collaboratively and were able to get the project approved. This is an excellent example of what can be realized when we all work together.”

The Paradise’s mix of movies, music, comedy and talk shows will be adjusted in the coming months to respond to public interest and tastes. Smith said spots are being left open in the monthly movie calendar to insert films on a last-minute basis, such as to salute the passing of a Hollywood star.

How will Tawse judge the success of the reborn Paradise?

“It’s not monetary success, obviously,” he said with a laugh.

“It’s about a feeling that I will get when I go in there and I see people enjoying themselves ... If I see people smiling, saying, ‘What a great night, what a great meal, what a fun bar, what a great band we saw!’ that will mean success to me.”