Aberdeen Theatre

There are great photo’s of this theater in all it’s incarnations at www.jonesphotocollection.com be shur to search using different spellings for “theater” and “theatre” as there are many different photo’s and they do not all pull up at once.

The Aberdeen Theater had a wonderful, wall-to-wall, curved screen that made for a great CinemaScope presentation during that era. In contrast, the D&R screen was much more cramped, although also curved.

Hopefully a deal can be worked between Harbor Arts and the current owner to purchase this theater and return it to it’s place as a venue for entertainment on the harbor.

Too bad, it sure would have been a nice place. :(

Maybe we should work on buying the land the Harbor Drive-in Theater was on and rebuild it.

Thanks for the info.It’s much appreciated.

You may be right about the Art theater, I was just trying to think of something but first run. But the “stage” at the Aberdeen is really only large enough for a screen and speakers. There is no fly space or lighting, or dressing rooms. Having worked at both the D&R and Aberdeen for many years, the D&R was the only one equiped for stage shows. The Aberdeen was built only for movies. Unfortunatly the D&R has been closed for about 20 years and stripped and would take a vary large influx of cash to re-open. The Aberdeen should be just about turn key with the only issues being projection, sound equipment and a screen.

Thank You for the sales info, this is a great opportunity to save one of the areas movie theaters. I think someone could make a go of it if they don’t try to compete with the 10 plex for product. I might be interrested in trying if there is someone out there who whould be willing to partner with. Having grown up in Aberdeen I believe the area would support an alternetive cinema. The closest
Art house is the Capital Theater in Olympia. Besides I have heard that the 10 plex at So Shore Mall is'nt all that great.

I believe a guy named Craig Fectzo (spelling?) was the agent.

I wonder whats left of the theater now that the churuch is going to sell it. The front has been extensivly altered, but if the lobby and auditorium are still intact this could be a nice art house as there is no theater in the area that shows those kinds of films. There is a 10 screen in So. Aberdeen that has the first run product tied up but the art/foriegn/classic market is untapped. A price and condition would be nice, anyone know? Before this became a church it was a nice Warner Bros theater. The only alteration being the removal of part of the wall between the lobby and the auditorium to put in a snack bar.

The Aberdeen theater opened in October 1929 just days before the stock market crash. The original name was Warner Bros. as the theater was built by Warner Bros. Studio. The original decoration was heavy spanish/moorish. The interior has many arches that originally contained dark red velvet valances. There are also 4 large stained glass windows each depicting a spanish galleon in sail. These windows stayed back lit during the movie for soft illumination. The auditorium cieling contains 5 large lavishly painted coves with fake wood beams that house the auditorium lighting. The theater was built expressly for films, there is no stage or dressing rooms as no live performances were ever planned. There was a small pipe organ to accompany the silent and early sound films. The original sound system was Vitaphone sound on disc. The lobby is small with stairs on either side that rise up to the balcony, offices and lounges. The original entrance doors were solid oak and the entrance and box office was tiled with colorful imported tiles. The seating capacity was about 700. The name was changed to Aberdeen Theater most likely when the studios had to divest themselves of their theaters in the early 1950’s. I have not been in the Aberdeen Theater since it became a church, but at least it has not fallen into the sad shape of the D&R.