The Metropolis concert hall on Ste. Catherine St. will soon get $5 million worth of renovations — as well as a brand new identity.
Equipe Spectra, the owners of the hall, and cellphone company Telus have struck a deal which would see the venue's facade, lobby, lighting and sound systems and new loges get upgraded in the coming years.
In the meantime, the venue will get a new name — M Telus — in May.
The venue will remain open while the work is carried out. The work will begin in the next few weeks, and much of it is expected to be complete by the time the name change takes effect.
The building at 59 Ste. Catherine St. E. first opened in 1884 as a skating rink. It became the Metropolis in the late 1980s — first as a nightclub, and then as a live performance venue.