The original screen was wider at one time. Wind blew one end down and the decision was to just leave it as is. There was a building at the bottom of the main screen. It was the manager’s residence. I don’t know when it was torn down. Early 60’s or before. I can’t remember the transition from one to six screens. Three screens were added, two to the right of the main screen and one at the back of the snack bar. Two more screens were added next to the entrance along with a satellite projection booth.
The theater needed upgrades and repairs but the income did not justify the expense. My office was in what used to be the manager’s residence in the new snack bar.
After closing, and after repeated break-ins, the final straw was when scrappers removed the main power panel copper bars. Soon after, the building was razed. That must have been around 2002.
Prior to adding the 8 box houses, the numbering scheme was: the front split dome was the Century 21-22. The other split dome with the two smaller domes were the Century 23-24-25-26. After adding the box theaters, they were numbered 5 through 8. Century Theatres regional office was in the Century 21-22.
As a side note, the FAA required the theater to add lights to the roof because of it’s proximity to a nearby airport. The lights, when they were operational, gave the site a unique look.
I met the caretaker in 1986 when the drive-in was still open. He had a studio for his claymation art at one end of the building. He also had a credit in a claymation film, but I can’t remember his name or the film.
Built in 1986. The projectors were moved from the Redwood Cinemas on Riddel Rd. in east Bremerton. It was converted from dual projectors with large reels to one projector on a platter film drive system. While it was being built, a 68 screen General Cinema Theater was being built across the parking lot. It touted stereo sound and real buttered popcorn. Silverdale 4 Cinemas was an all mono theater with butter-flavored topped popcorn but it seemed to out perform General Cinemas quite often.
As an addendum to Ken’s notes: to supply projectors to the Silverdale 4 Cinemas, the “slave” projectors were removed and platter film transports were added in 1986.
This theater was built by Tom Moyer of TMT Management, Portland, OR and was one of his Luxury Theater locations. This one was the first theaters he built that was Dolby Stereo in every house. He usually put stereo in one or two large theaters and mono in the smaller ones. At some other locations, he installed Dolby processors in the large ones and other brands of stereo processors (not Dolby), instead of mono sound, in the smaller ones.
There were other modern theaters in north Spokane when the Newport Cinemas opened. But, it had superior sound and picture. It was a first run theater so that was a draw also.
From conversations with locals, when it opened it had the best presentation in Spokane. But the presentation suffered after a few years and attendance dropped.
I am not familiar with Act III Theaters or Regal Cinemas operations, so I do not know if change of ownership caused this decline.
It is sad to me that such a nice theater was abandoned after 19 short years. It was not an architectural stand out so that may have something to do with it’s closure, i.e. not worth upgrading. I will say that I don’t even know if they even upgraded to digital sound in the early nineties.
Maybe of interest to some: the eight projectors in this theater were transferred from the North Division 6 and the East Sprague 6 theaters. Up to this point, those theaters were running large reels that required two projectors for a continuous show. Platters were installed in all 6 houses and four of the six “slave” projectors were moved to the Newport location. The two larger theaters at each location had both “master” and “slave” projectors and so a back-up projector was always available.
Both the North Division and East Sprague theaters were two of those theaters that had stereo sound in the two larger theaters and mono in the smaller one, at least until 1988.
The original screen was wider at one time. Wind blew one end down and the decision was to just leave it as is. There was a building at the bottom of the main screen. It was the manager’s residence. I don’t know when it was torn down. Early 60’s or before. I can’t remember the transition from one to six screens. Three screens were added, two to the right of the main screen and one at the back of the snack bar. Two more screens were added next to the entrance along with a satellite projection booth. The theater needed upgrades and repairs but the income did not justify the expense. My office was in what used to be the manager’s residence in the new snack bar. After closing, and after repeated break-ins, the final straw was when scrappers removed the main power panel copper bars. Soon after, the building was razed. That must have been around 2002.
Prior to adding the 8 box houses, the numbering scheme was: the front split dome was the Century 21-22. The other split dome with the two smaller domes were the Century 23-24-25-26. After adding the box theaters, they were numbered 5 through 8. Century Theatres regional office was in the Century 21-22. As a side note, the FAA required the theater to add lights to the roof because of it’s proximity to a nearby airport. The lights, when they were operational, gave the site a unique look.
I met the caretaker in 1986 when the drive-in was still open. He had a studio for his claymation art at one end of the building. He also had a credit in a claymation film, but I can’t remember his name or the film.
Built in 1986. The projectors were moved from the Redwood Cinemas on Riddel Rd. in east Bremerton. It was converted from dual projectors with large reels to one projector on a platter film drive system. While it was being built, a 68 screen General Cinema Theater was being built across the parking lot. It touted stereo sound and real buttered popcorn. Silverdale 4 Cinemas was an all mono theater with butter-flavored topped popcorn but it seemed to out perform General Cinemas quite often.
As an addendum to Ken’s notes: to supply projectors to the Silverdale 4 Cinemas, the “slave” projectors were removed and platter film transports were added in 1986.
This theater was built by Tom Moyer of TMT Management, Portland, OR and was one of his Luxury Theater locations. This one was the first theaters he built that was Dolby Stereo in every house. He usually put stereo in one or two large theaters and mono in the smaller ones. At some other locations, he installed Dolby processors in the large ones and other brands of stereo processors (not Dolby), instead of mono sound, in the smaller ones. There were other modern theaters in north Spokane when the Newport Cinemas opened. But, it had superior sound and picture. It was a first run theater so that was a draw also. From conversations with locals, when it opened it had the best presentation in Spokane. But the presentation suffered after a few years and attendance dropped. I am not familiar with Act III Theaters or Regal Cinemas operations, so I do not know if change of ownership caused this decline. It is sad to me that such a nice theater was abandoned after 19 short years. It was not an architectural stand out so that may have something to do with it’s closure, i.e. not worth upgrading. I will say that I don’t even know if they even upgraded to digital sound in the early nineties. Maybe of interest to some: the eight projectors in this theater were transferred from the North Division 6 and the East Sprague 6 theaters. Up to this point, those theaters were running large reels that required two projectors for a continuous show. Platters were installed in all 6 houses and four of the six “slave” projectors were moved to the Newport location. The two larger theaters at each location had both “master” and “slave” projectors and so a back-up projector was always available. Both the North Division and East Sprague theaters were two of those theaters that had stereo sound in the two larger theaters and mono in the smaller one, at least until 1988.