Cascade Park 4 Theater

Cascade Park 4 was owned by Tom Moyer’s chain “Luxury Theatres” from the time it opened in 1977 until Act III bought out Luxury in 1989. Regal Cinemas then bought out Act III in the 90s, and operated the CP4 for about a year before closing it. I am not certain if TPM Inc. (Thomas P. Moyer Jr. Incorporated; run by Tom’s son) ever ran it but they might have. One of the current vice-principals at nearby Evergreen High School, Mr. B— N—, managed the theatre earlier on in the Luxury era.

Very first time I saw a film I was aged 3, and we saw “Bambi” at the Cascade Park 4 It was around 1987 or so. I was definitely ashamed when they decided to close it……..

Earlier this summer, I was running some deliveries to a business near the theatre/church. They were finishing up a yard sale in the little courtyard north of the sanctuary room, when I noticed an old friend of mine there who offered to show me around.

I have some photographs I took of it earlier this year, interior and exterior. I may post them here once the picture function is working again.

Now, as for the remodel for its function as a church:
The largest of the four theatre rooms is now the sanctuary. The medium-sized room is currently a nursery/playroom (for the little ones) and the two smaller shoe-boxes across from the sanctuary are being used as storage rooms. I don’t know what they did with the projection hall upstairs, but I assume that’s where the pastor’s office must be.

Originally, the theatre was a flat configuration, in fact it was sloped somewhat. Off the top of my head I’d say it’s about a 25-degree grade, more or less, from screen to hallway. The floor was filled in and levelled (I think) in the sanctuary to accomadate the pew benches without feeling like you’re falling downhill. The other three rooms, including the playroom, are still sloped.

They also pulled up all the horrid, threadbare 1970’s-era gold carpet and brown wallpaper that had been there probably since the place first opened, repainted the walls and put down new carpet. In the shoeboxes and the playroom, the screens, seats and everything else were removed; the walls and ceilings were stripped down to the bare concrete. As a result the acoustics are now VERY good in those rooms. Having been a volunteer with daycare services in the Evergreen School District in the recent past, I definitely pity whomever gets stuck looking after a bunch of energetic, screaming children in there…….. ;o)

The wall between the sanctuary and hallway was partially knocked out, and a wide picture window looking toward the stage was installed. The heavy wooden doors going to each of the rooms are still there. Those are original to the building, and weren’t installed with any light traps (in true Luxury Theatres fashion! ;o) From the looks of it, they might have had a new coad of varnish put on, as I remember them looking quite beaten-up, even toward the end of the Regal ownership.

I am not certain what happened to the projectors and sound equipment, but someone told me they ended up at Regal’s Cascade 16 theatre, about two miles east. Don’t know what happened to the seats. The people might have junked them or sold them off to someone.

That’s the status as of the time I visited in mid-July of this year. My friend said the remodel project is an “ongoing work in progress”, so I imagine they must have done quite a bit more since then. I haven’t gone back since then but I might go and visit them again one of these days. If/when I do I’ll post an update here.