Guild Theatre

The Guild Theater is actually open, but it is only open to students of Portland State University and students of the Pacific Northwest College of Arts. They do have a summer program for children and teens that allows them to make and show movies to friends and family at the theater. I only know this because my 13 year old sister has participated in this program.

The Guild Theatre is located at 829 SW 9th Ave. and it seated 425 people.

The Guild Theatre is operated by the Portland Art Museum's Northwest Film Center for year-round exhibition of foreign, regional and independent films. Part of this schedule includes the Portland International Film Festival each February, and the Northwest Film & Video Festival each November. The Northwest Film Center also screens work in the Portland Art Museum's Whitsell Auditorium and the School of Film offers a wide variety of classes and workshops through its School of Film. For more information, go to www.nwfilm.org

Here is a small photo of the Guild Theater.

This is a nice recent photo of the Guild theater.

My image of the GUILD
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/254563093

The Guild was originally called the Taylor (it's near the corner of SW 9th and Taylor). It ran older pictures until the J.J. Parker circuit took it over in about 1948 and renamed it the Guild, showing what constituted "art house" fare back then, plus an occasional move-over from other Parker theaters. The Guild is an oddity in that patrons enter the auditorium next to the screen and walk up the sloped floor to the seats.

Here are some 2007 photos of the Guild Theater. Click each photo to expand it.

It seems the Guild is currently being used as some sort of construction manager's office for the huge development project across the street, which as of now, consists of a truly colossal pit in the ground and what looks to be the beginnning of a vast subterranean parking garage. The tall old building immediately to the left of the Guild is being given a refurbishing. It shares much of the same exterior ornament as the Guild, including the little niches occupied by busts of famous composers. Hopefully, when the dust settles, the Guild will still remain.

I really miss the old days 80's when the Guild theatre played the old Bond movies on the big screen, was a real treat.I have much history with that place as my grandmother use to be a janitor there for years.They use to have movie critics come in and you could watch hollywood type films like 3-4 months ahead of time before they came out if you knew the time they played, must have seen hundreds of films there growing up.A very unique place, very orignal.Sadly I dont think you will see another place like it again. I hope they decide to keep it and not tear it down. :(

This is a recent photo of the Guild Theater. Is this theater still open?

Im going to ask that the status of this theatre be changed to "closed". The front is boarded up...the marquee is being used to advertise local businesses, and the north west film centers Portland international film festival blew through town and there were no screenings there.

Does anyone know who I can contact as "owners" for The Guild? Let's revive Portland! Or, does anyone know of any other theaters, or a great space that could make an excellent theater (I need 30-35' tall ceilings). Thanks!
Heidi Hawk

According to the comments on this flickr site the theatre is closed and the verticle sign has been changed to reflect the name of a restaurant.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41894180030@N01/358897620/in/set-72157594480153594/

Hello Chuck! Where have you been?

Don...

Don, I sent you an email via your vanishingtheatre address I hope you get it.

The date given for this photo is July 21, 1950.

Here is another photo dated May 1, 1950.

From my understanding - the Guild Theater in one of the hottest spots of Portland, Oregon is about useless. The cost to put bathrooms in is so astronomical that is almost makes the theater useless. Sad. What a lost beauty...does anyone have an ideas in order to revive the theater with minimal costs?
Heidi

This is a close-up shot.

1980 Photo

1987 Photo

1982 photo of the Guild Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c37%2c3%2c-1&catpagesize=25&ProductID=32738
1982 night photo of the Guild Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c37%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=5&catpagesize=25&ProductID=32739
Another 1982 night photo of the Guild Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c37%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=5&catpagesize=25&ProductID=32740

The Guild was one of the world's rare reverse theaters even before an extensive remodeling took place in 1956. After several years of successful operation as an art house (before 1948 it had been a triple-feature grind house for some years) the operators spent $70,000 on a remodeling, for which they engaged the noted Portland architectural firm of Wick & Hilgers.

The theater's reverse auditorium was retained, largely unchanged except for redecoration, but the rest of the interior was reconfigured, with the former stage being removed to provide space for a two-level lobby and lounge area, as well as space for a curved baffle to minimize light leaking from the new lobby into the auditorium. A more spacious entrance was also provided by moving the box office.

Photos of the remodeled Guild appeared with an article published in Boxoffice of October 20, 1956. The remodeling was done over a period of six months, while the theater remained open.