Bing Crosby Theater
901 W. Sprague Avenue,
Spokane,
WA
99204
901 W. Sprague Avenue,
Spokane,
WA
99204
No one has favorited this theater yet
Opened February 22, 1915 as a movie theater called the Clemmer Theater. Designed in a restrained Neo-Classical style by noted theater architect Edwin W. Houghton, the Clemmer Theatre originally sat 800 patrons and boasted a 4/32 Kimball organ, one of the most impressive instruments in the city. Among the Clemmer’s first musicians to helm the organ was Jessie Crawford, eventually recognized as one of the great silent film organists of all time.
In 1988, the movie house underwent a substantial restoration and the building eventually became known as the Metropolitan Performing Arts Center, or “Met”, for short. In 2006, the theatre was renamed Bing Crosby Theater.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
When this theatre was known as the State Theatre it was operated by Evergreen State Amusement Corp., which was part of the Fox Theatres chain and later known as National Theatres then National General Theatres.
This a.m. on CBS Sunday Morning they did a segment on what will be called the Bing Crosby Theatre which is now the Metropolitan Performing Arts Center. The following article gives details of the plans for the name change. View link
Here is a history web site for this theater. Comes with pictures too.
View link.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.historylink.org/results.cfm%3Fkeyword%3D%2520Performing%2520Arts%26refine_keyword%3D%26count%3D1%26perpage%3D40%26searchfield%3Dtopics%26search_library%3D%26searchletter%3D%26start%3D%26end%3D&h=201&w=260&sz=13&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=Buj5n2ikrZ85TM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3DHippodrome%2BTheater%2BSpokane%2BWA%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den)
From Boxoffice magazine, January 1960:
Bud Schmidt of the State at Spokane, Wash. used the “girls only” gimmick to get a running start with “Yellowstone Kelly”. Billing it as the “Kookie Matinee”, Schmidt had 350 avid fans of Edd “Kookie” Byrnes waiting at the box office when it opened at 10 a.m. The promotion was carried out with the city’s top-rated teenage radio station.
February 22nd, 1915 amusement page: View link
no big ad for this theatre.
A 2012 photo can be seen here and here.
Front cover treatment as the State Theatre in January, 1977: Boxoffice
Description from same issue: Boxoffice
Described as the Clemmer in this 1915 trade article: archive
Current name uses the “er” ending of the “T” word:
Bing Crosby Theater.