Ridgemont Theatre
7720 Greenwood Ave.,
Seattle,
WA
7720 Greenwood Ave.,
Seattle,
WA
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neeb’s link
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120109/LETTERS/120109979
Is 63 weeks really the length-of-run record for a Seattle theatre?
Some history and photos on the PSTOS website.
View link
From 1978 through its closure in 1989, the Ridgemont was operated by a local art-house chain, Seven Gables Theaters. Seven Gables was later purchased by Landmark Theaters. Prior to 1978, the Ridgemont operated as a porn theater.
A Kimball theater organ KPO 6842 size 2/6 was installed in the Ridgemont Theater in 1923.
Bruen, the name on the 1930 photo, also ran the 45th Street in Wallingford.
The Ridgemont property is now an apartment/retail complex, but it retains the theater name. I saw my first subtitled movie at the Ridgemont in 1957 (and also my first nude female — Brigitte Bardot!)
It kicked off the era of arthouses in Seattle, although the Varsity and the Uptown showed occasional imports but mostly from Britain. It had a stepped floor with narrow rows so leg room was terrible and there was no way to improve it without redoing the whole floor. It had a small screen that did not handle scope movies very well.
Ridgemont Theater circa 1930.
Small photo and brief article are here.
The Ridgemont Theatre seated 456 people.