Egyptian Theatre
801 East Pine Street,
Seattle,
WA
98122
801 East Pine Street,
Seattle,
WA
98122
10 people
favorited this theater
Originally built as a Masonic Temple, the theater was taken over by the Seattle International Film Festival in 1980, and converted into an Egyptian-themed art house cinema. It continues to show films today.
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
Thanks D. Roben;
Sorry to cause confusion here, I have added the Moore-Egyptian Theatre as a new entry to the site.
Does anyone have pictures of the interior of this theatre?
Took a quick peek inside this house today, and while it does have an Egyptian theme, it is done in a very subtle and low-key way, with a touch of funkiness. There are a few Egyptian-style flourishes here and there, and a lovely proscenium, short and wide rather than tall and grand, also with a few appropriate touches. I was glad to see a curtain in front of the screen, instead of a blank screen or pre-show advertising. There’s a small raised loge or mezzanine, behind the orchestra seats rather than over them. This place reminded me of 1920’s non-palace movie theatre, functional rather than elaborate, like something out of “Paper Moon.” I wouldn’t have been surprised if the wooden seats weren’t cushioned. (They were.) That said, I know the locals love this place and I would recommend a visit if you’re in the area.
The Egyptian-style decor in this theatre is not authentic, but was created during the early ‘80’s remodel, and, I believe, was intended to be evocative of the “Egyptian” identity of the presenters’ Moore-Egyptian. It is actually very tasteful and works well for the purpose, but I do not think it has anything to do with the original decor of the old Masonic Temple.
It’s a good place to see films, however.
Saw a revival of Yellow Submarine here in 1999 and loved it, although the lady behind me interfered with my enjoyment of hearing the Beatles in first-ever surround sound by rustling her candy wrappers the entire time…
I too love the Egyptian from my Seattle days. Have they cushioned the old wood seats in the loge? I wonder when they sell out the theatre if they sell tickets for all those seats as well. As I recall, some were behind posts or faced the center of auditorium, perpendicular to the screen (no doubt because the auditorium was not originally conceived as a theatre).
Mark, the old wood seats are still there, but only the ones in the back below the projection booth. About three years ago, the theater was altered to improve the sound by walling off the side balconies, so there are no longer any posts to obscure viewing.
And, yes, during the Seattle International Film Festival, the balcony is frequently opened up. I “tested” one of those old seats once and the word “painful” comes to mind. By the way, the altering has lowered the seating capacity to about 450 seats.
I love this theater. During the festival, it becomes my home away from home. Many people still complain about the sound, but I’ve never had any issues. New seats on the main floor, no stadiaum seating, a big screen and a curtain…what’s not to love?
This is a 2009 photo.
LOSTMEMORY… Please remove your post as this account is no longer working. In fact, I sincerely wish that everyone who has disabled their photos, etc., would PLEASE review their CT account and remove what’s NOT available. It’s so utterly frustrating to do all this scrolling up & down along with clicking this and that, only to find there’s no one home! Get my meaning?
This opened on November 14th, 1980. I posted the first ad here.