Opened on October 17, 1952, as the Alouette Theatre, it was briefly renamed Club Montreal before receiving its popular name.

The Spectrum had a capacity of about 1200 and had a "cabaret" setup with table service.

A unique effect was the wall mounted lighting which included hundreds of small lightbulbs.

[1] The block on which the building stands was slated to be torn down and rebuilt as a combined shopping centre and office complex.

On February 17, 2008, the borough of Ville Marie voted to proceed with demolition plans[2] and on October 18, 2008, almost 56 years to the day from when it first opened, the Spectrum was torn down.