I went to look at the old building today—what I expected to see was the Albina Church of God—but the building is gone now. In it’s place is a corner of the Portland Community College (PCC) Cascade Campus; the building now standing on the ground is called the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building.
“Granada Theatre, As It Appeared When Completed
(December 19, 1928)
An artists sketch of M.R. Mathew’s new theater building, now under construction here, was received here today, with the announcement that the theater would be opened early in the spring by Mathews-Moran Amusement Company, Inc.
The building is now being wired and prepared for the installation of both Movietone and Vitaphone, the two genuine talking and sound devices that to date have synchronized all big pictures, such as “The Jazz Singer,” “Singing Fool,” “Glorious Betsy,” “Lion and the Mouse,” “The Terror,” and all pictures showing at the Blue Mouse and Music Box theaters in Portland.
This equipment was ordered by the company last July, and the installation date is causing concern, on account of the rapid progress of the building, they said today. It requires about nine months to get delivery of the Vitaphone and Movietone equipment, although two factories are now running day and night in an effort to meet demand, it was pointed out by company officials.
This equipment consists of a car load of delicate electrical apparatus, which will be routed directly from the Electrical Research Products Inc., N.Y., to The Dalles, and will require about three weeks' time for installation after it arrives."
Since the article mentions that Portland’s Music Box and Blue Mouse theatre’s were already showing “talking and sound” pictures, it would seem that the Granada was not the “first theatre west of the Mississippi with talkies”.
“The year is 1929 … the end of the "Roaring Twenties,” Herbert Hoover was president, Packard was the top-of-the-line automobile, everyone was dancing to Sammy Kaye, the crash of the stock market ushered in the great depression, and the M.R. Mathew family opened The Granada Theatre at a cost of $125,000.00.
Plans for this Moorish style motion picture theater were prepared by William Cutts of Portland, Oregon, who designed approximately sixty theaters for the Universal Picture Corporation during his career.
Planned at the height of the silver screen era, the theater nonetheless was equipped with “Vita Phone” and “Movietone” sound systems, and was the first thester west of the Mississippi River to feature “Talkies”. While the facade of the concrete building was designed to imitate Moorish architecture, the stucco finish, accented with brick and tile, along with domed towers, arched windows with spiral columns, and arcades parapet create the exotic atmosphere of the Mediterranean.
The original building was designed to seat 600 guests and featured a large curtained stage, pipe organ and orchestra pit. In the 1950’s, an energetic remodeling program added an exterior ticket booth, neon marquee, snack bar and new “Art Deco” decor in the lobby.
Operated by the Rose Moyer Theatre group out of Portland, Oregon, The Granada closed its doors as a theater in the early 1990’s and remained closed until April 20, 1996, when The Granada Theatre once again opened its doors. Newly remodeled with such additions as the spectacular sky ceiling in the auditorium, and the addition of the Backstage Art Cafe complete the offerings of the facility.
Through the years until 1993, the building was home to many retail establishments. One of the first tenants was the “Siberian Ice Cream Parlor” which boasted of being the first retail outlet for soft ice cream in the state of Oregon. The last tenant to leave was “Bill’s Barber Shop”, which is still going strong at another location in historic downtown The Dalles."
“WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif…. the PARIS THEATRE, a highly successful skin flick house was seriously damaged by fire in January. The PARIS opened as the CARMEL, 11-19-1924 in what was then the Crescent Heights tract. It was one of the many neighborhood houses opened by West Coast Theatres during 1924-1925. L. A. Smith was the architect." – Marquee (the quarterly journal of the
Theatre Historical Society of America), 1976, Vol. 8, No. 1 (OUT OF PRINT)
There is also a listing for the theatre under it’s Paris name at /theaters/11105/
“WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif…. the PARIS THEATRE, a highly successful skin flick house was seriously damaged by fire in January. The PARIS opened as the CARMEL, 11-19-1924 in what was then the Crescent Heights tract. It was one of the many neighborhood houses opened by West Coast Theatres during 1924-1925. L. A. Smith was the architect." – Marquee (the quarterly journal of the
Theatre Historical Society of America), 1976, Vol. 8, No. 1 (OUT OF PRINT)
In the 1988 book * Hollywood on Main Street – the Movie House Paintings of Davis Cone by Linda Chase there is a watercolor painting of the Colonia on page 10. Judging by the movies on the marquee in the painting (All of Me and Thief of Hearts*) it looks like the watercolor shows what the theater looked like in late 1984. At that time, the marquee was blue and the trim was yellow. The original 1986 watercolor measures 13 by 16 inches and is in the collection of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.
“On the evening of May 1st, 1963 fire destroyed the Music Box Theatre, originally known as The Tacoma Theatre and a downtown Tacoma landmark since 1890, causing damage that may amount to one million dollars or more.
The Tacoma Theatre’s extravagant opening January 13th, 1890 heralded 73 years of entertainment for the people of Tacoma. Situated in the center of downtown Tacoma, the theatre was considered the heart of the huge 9th and Broadway landmark.
For 38 years the greatest of the entertainment world graced its huge stage. Names as Henery Irving, David Warfield, Lily Langtry, Lillian Russell, Maude Adams, Otis Skinner, The Barrymores, Walker Whiteside, Harry Lauder, Kolb & Dill, Al Jolson and many, many more."
“The Echo Theatre opened in 1910 as a silent movie house. It was one of several businesses in The Frances Building, a two story brick commercial structure on the corner of 37th Ave. and Hawthorne Blvd., which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
When “talkies” arrived at the newer Bagdad Theater across the street, it became a dance hall. From 1929 to 1954 Eastside Van and Store occupied the space. It then remained empty until 1969 when Plumbing & Electric Supply moved in for four years, followed by another plumbing supply company, Republic Enterprises.
In 1984 Do Jump Movement Theater acquired a long term lease on the space to serve as its resident studio and theater.
…In 1989 the Board of Directors decided to call this new performing arts center by its original 1910 name: The Echo Theatre."
“The theater seated 750 patrons and was equipped with the most modern amenities of its time. An Oregonian article dated August 11, 1943, praised the new theater and predicted its future success. "Destined to be a center of community activity in the vast housing center, the Vanport theater is a modern motion picture house in all respects. Latest equipment in projection, sound and appointments have been incorporated in its construction.”
It seems that the operator of the Vanport Theater was a man by the name of Ted R. Gamble.
“Ted R. Gamble, the operator of the Vanport Theatre, has pledged complete co-operation with the project services department in making the facilities of the theatre available for recreation, education, health, welfare, and community activities."
(see View link)
“THEATER: The Vanport City Theater, Cottonwood near Lake Street is open seven days a week from 1:30 p.m. to midnight. Your community theater is one of the few leisure time facilities in the community. It is for your pleasure and convenience. Your suggestions to the Management will be appreciated, and your cooperation in making it a good place to go is solicited.”
The entire block of the former theaters location is now taken up by the downtown Nordstrom. If it were still there it would face the today’s Pioneer Square.
From the Alan Lopez article “Restored cinemas have audiences cheering” in the November 29th, 2002 edition of the Contra Costa Times:
“…One example is the Del Mar Theater, an art deco movie palace that opened in 1937 with a 25 to 30 cent ticket price. It had more than 1,000 seats, elaborate decorations inside and out and a two-story high cathedral ceiling.
In the 1970s, the United Artists theater chain purchased the theater, split it into four screens and it became a second-run movie house. It took a big hit when the Cinema Nine multiplex opened nearby in the early 1990s.
Jim Schwenterley, the co-owner of the nearby Nickelodeon Theater, said the Del Mar wasn’t managed well and failed to attract audiences. It fell on hard times in the 1980s and ‘90s and was shut down in 1999.
Schwenterley saw the vacant and rotting inside of the theater after it closed. The walls were peeling, there was water on the ground and rats were running in the aisles, he said.
“You’d walk in there and think, ‘Condemn this place,’” he said. “It was a mess.”
The Nickelodeon Theater, two blocks away from the Del Mar, had the opposite problem. It was too popular, according to Schwenterley, there were long lines and packed houses. He wanted to expand and find a new theater where he could screen additional movies.
The Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency, meanwhile, was receiving proposals for what to do with the Del Mar, including turning it into a performing arts venue.
A new offer
But in late 2000, the Nickelodeon’s owners offered a proposal the redevelopment agency couldn’t refuse. The Nickelodeon, partnering with two local developers, would share in the costs of restoring the theater, operate it and offer the building for public events.
With that in mind, and with public support, the city’s redevelopment agency bought the building in June 2001 for $1.3 million and put in another $700,000 toward the cost of restoring it.
The two developers and Nickelodeon together put in an additional $1.1 million toward the cost of restoring the theater. New seats, screens, wall draperies, carpets, projector equipment, paint and a sound system were installed. More than $25,000 was spent on an elaborate neon marquee.
It now has three theaters, plays art films and attracts several hundred people a night, said Darrell Doan, the redevelopment agency project manager. There are three small businesses inside the building and the theater is used for nonprofit events for as many as 36 nights a year. Doan and Schwenterley said proudly that since it opened, it has hosted six film festivals with free admission.
“It’s become like a major gain for everybody,” said Schwenterley. “We got three extra screens that we really needed because we had so many movies and didn’t have room to play with our little fourplex.”
…
“In Santa Cruz, the Del Mar Theater is now the pride of the community and, according to Doan, is helping to reinvent the city’s theater district. The renovation project also was awarded the Art Deco Preservation Award by the Art Deco Society of California.
“It’s something that’s definitely doable. It’s not a pipe dream,” Doan said. “The key is to have a strong public commitment.”"
“In 1927 the Blue Mouse Theater at SW 10th & Washington Street, presented Portland’s first sound motion picture, Don Juan (1926) starring John Barrymore, a Warner Brothers/Vitaphone production featuring synchronized music and sound effects."
(see View link)
“In 1913 the newly constructed Sunnyside Theatre provided entertainment to a growing Southeast population. Located at 3451 SE Belmont Street, the Sunnyside operated for 22 years.
In 1935 it was renamed the Avalon. As multiplexes became popular, the Avalon’s main auditorium was divided into three theaters.
In 1987 the movie house became the Avalon Theater and Game Room. It continues to provide entertainment for young and old alike, drawing audiences with a combination of low ticket prices, a weekly variety of movies, and a 5-cent video arcade. “
(see View link)
“The CineMagic Theater at 2021 SE Hawthorne Boulevard opened in 1914 as the Palm.
It has since had a succession of owners and name changes, including
the Hawthorne (1915),
the Star Hawthorne (1934),
the Zephyr (1937),
the Plaza (1938),
the Fine Arts (1957),
the Columbia (1987), and finally
CineMagic (1991).
Along with tasty popcorn, tiny 1950s-style restrooms, and a glittering gold curtain that graces the stage, the 87-year-old theater features a mix of contemporary releases, second-run films, and classics—everything from foreign films to mainstream Hollywood.“
(see View link)
“The Acme Theatre, located at 23 North Russell Street, opened in 1910 and closed in 1915. Today nothing remains of the theater; the lot where it once stood is part of the Emanuel Hospital parking lot. Like many theaters built in the early part of the 20th century, the Acme suffered from competition with other North Portland neighborhood theaters. The Aden Theatre on North Mississippi Avenue, the Albina on North Russell Street, and the Columbia on North Lombard Street, all built in 1910 or 1911, also closed a few years later.”
(see View link)
I went to look at the old building today—what I expected to see was the Albina Church of God—but the building is gone now. In it’s place is a corner of the Portland Community College (PCC) Cascade Campus; the building now standing on the ground is called the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building.
“Granada Theatre, As It Appeared When Completed
(December 19, 1928)
An artists sketch of M.R. Mathew’s new theater building, now under construction here, was received here today, with the announcement that the theater would be opened early in the spring by Mathews-Moran Amusement Company, Inc.
The building is now being wired and prepared for the installation of both Movietone and Vitaphone, the two genuine talking and sound devices that to date have synchronized all big pictures, such as “The Jazz Singer,” “Singing Fool,” “Glorious Betsy,” “Lion and the Mouse,” “The Terror,” and all pictures showing at the Blue Mouse and Music Box theaters in Portland.
This equipment was ordered by the company last July, and the installation date is causing concern, on account of the rapid progress of the building, they said today. It requires about nine months to get delivery of the Vitaphone and Movietone equipment, although two factories are now running day and night in an effort to meet demand, it was pointed out by company officials.
This equipment consists of a car load of delicate electrical apparatus, which will be routed directly from the Electrical Research Products Inc., N.Y., to The Dalles, and will require about three weeks' time for installation after it arrives."
from http://www.clintonsttheater.com/history.html
Since the article mentions that Portland’s Music Box and Blue Mouse theatre’s were already showing “talking and sound” pictures, it would seem that the Granada was not the “first theatre west of the Mississippi with talkies”.
“The year is 1929 … the end of the "Roaring Twenties,” Herbert Hoover was president, Packard was the top-of-the-line automobile, everyone was dancing to Sammy Kaye, the crash of the stock market ushered in the great depression, and the M.R. Mathew family opened The Granada Theatre at a cost of $125,000.00.
Plans for this Moorish style motion picture theater were prepared by William Cutts of Portland, Oregon, who designed approximately sixty theaters for the Universal Picture Corporation during his career.
Planned at the height of the silver screen era, the theater nonetheless was equipped with “Vita Phone” and “Movietone” sound systems, and was the first thester west of the Mississippi River to feature “Talkies”. While the facade of the concrete building was designed to imitate Moorish architecture, the stucco finish, accented with brick and tile, along with domed towers, arched windows with spiral columns, and arcades parapet create the exotic atmosphere of the Mediterranean.
The original building was designed to seat 600 guests and featured a large curtained stage, pipe organ and orchestra pit. In the 1950’s, an energetic remodeling program added an exterior ticket booth, neon marquee, snack bar and new “Art Deco” decor in the lobby.
Operated by the Rose Moyer Theatre group out of Portland, Oregon, The Granada closed its doors as a theater in the early 1990’s and remained closed until April 20, 1996, when The Granada Theatre once again opened its doors. Newly remodeled with such additions as the spectacular sky ceiling in the auditorium, and the addition of the Backstage Art Cafe complete the offerings of the facility.
Through the years until 1993, the building was home to many retail establishments. One of the first tenants was the “Siberian Ice Cream Parlor” which boasted of being the first retail outlet for soft ice cream in the state of Oregon. The last tenant to leave was “Bill’s Barber Shop”, which is still going strong at another location in historic downtown The Dalles."
from http://www.clintonsttheater.com/history.html
“WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif…. the PARIS THEATRE, a highly successful skin flick house was seriously damaged by fire in January. The PARIS opened as the CARMEL, 11-19-1924 in what was then the Crescent Heights tract. It was one of the many neighborhood houses opened by West Coast Theatres during 1924-1925. L. A. Smith was the architect."
– Marquee (the quarterly journal of the
Theatre Historical Society of America), 1976, Vol. 8, No. 1 (OUT OF PRINT)
There is also a listing for the theatre under it’s Paris name at /theaters/11105/
“WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif…. the PARIS THEATRE, a highly successful skin flick house was seriously damaged by fire in January. The PARIS opened as the CARMEL, 11-19-1924 in what was then the Crescent Heights tract. It was one of the many neighborhood houses opened by West Coast Theatres during 1924-1925. L. A. Smith was the architect."
– Marquee (the quarterly journal of the
Theatre Historical Society of America), 1976, Vol. 8, No. 1 (OUT OF PRINT)
See the listing for the Carmel Theatre at /theaters/2139/
There is a small picture of the Colonia in 1998 at
http://www.nshs1968.org/pictures/Town/Colonia.jpg
and an even smaller one at View link.
In the 1988 book * Hollywood on Main Street – the Movie House Paintings of Davis Cone by Linda Chase there is a watercolor painting of the Colonia on page 10. Judging by the movies on the marquee in the painting (All of Me and Thief of Hearts*) it looks like the watercolor shows what the theater looked like in late 1984. At that time, the marquee was blue and the trim was yellow. The original 1986 watercolor measures 13 by 16 inches and is in the collection of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia.
You can see some of Mr. Cone’s later work at View link. He also has a more recent book from 2001 called Popcorn Palaces: The Art Deco Movie Theatre Paintings of Davis Cone.
“On the evening of May 1st, 1963 fire destroyed the Music Box Theatre, originally known as The Tacoma Theatre and a downtown Tacoma landmark since 1890, causing damage that may amount to one million dollars or more.
The Tacoma Theatre’s extravagant opening January 13th, 1890 heralded 73 years of entertainment for the people of Tacoma. Situated in the center of downtown Tacoma, the theatre was considered the heart of the huge 9th and Broadway landmark.
For 38 years the greatest of the entertainment world graced its huge stage. Names as Henery Irving, David Warfield, Lily Langtry, Lillian Russell, Maude Adams, Otis Skinner, The Barrymores, Walker Whiteside, Harry Lauder, Kolb & Dill, Al Jolson and many, many more."
(from http://www.districtone.com/end1964.htm)
There is an old black and white photo at View link
(from http://www.sysc.pdx.edu/~tads/echostory.html)
“The Echo Theatre opened in 1910 as a silent movie house. It was one of several businesses in The Frances Building, a two story brick commercial structure on the corner of 37th Ave. and Hawthorne Blvd., which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
When “talkies” arrived at the newer Bagdad Theater across the street, it became a dance hall. From 1929 to 1954 Eastside Van and Store occupied the space. It then remained empty until 1969 when Plumbing & Electric Supply moved in for four years, followed by another plumbing supply company, Republic Enterprises.
In 1984 Do Jump Movement Theater acquired a long term lease on the space to serve as its resident studio and theater.
…In 1989 the Board of Directors decided to call this new performing arts center by its original 1910 name: The Echo Theatre."
You can see an old Echo Theater program from 1919 at http://www.dojump.org/html/echoprogram.htm
There is a 1940 photo of Broadway usherettes at View link
“The theater seated 750 patrons and was equipped with the most modern amenities of its time. An Oregonian article dated August 11, 1943, praised the new theater and predicted its future success. "Destined to be a center of community activity in the vast housing center, the Vanport theater is a modern motion picture house in all respects. Latest equipment in projection, sound and appointments have been incorporated in its construction.”
(see View link)
It seems that the operator of the Vanport Theater was a man by the name of Ted R. Gamble.
“Ted R. Gamble, the operator of the Vanport Theatre, has pledged complete co-operation with the project services department in making the facilities of the theatre available for recreation, education, health, welfare, and community activities."
(see View link)
From the original Vanport Residents Handbook:
“THEATER: The Vanport City Theater, Cottonwood near Lake Street is open seven days a week from 1:30 p.m. to midnight. Your community theater is one of the few leisure time facilities in the community. It is for your pleasure and convenience. Your suggestions to the Management will be appreciated, and your cooperation in making it a good place to go is solicited.”
The handbook is in the manuscript collection at the Oregon Historical Society—you can see some of the handbook’s text at http://www.ccrh.org/comm/slough/primary/rules.htm.
And there’s a Christmas-time 1948 photo of the Orpheum’s concession stand at View link
There’s a 1972 photo of the Orpheum at View link
The entire block of the former theaters location is now taken up by the downtown Nordstrom. If it were still there it would face the today’s Pioneer Square.
There’s a great 1954 photo of the ticket booth and surrounding area at http://www.ohs.org/exhibitions/movies/gimmicks.htm
From the Alan Lopez article “Restored cinemas have audiences cheering” in the November 29th, 2002 edition of the Contra Costa Times:
“…One example is the Del Mar Theater, an art deco movie palace that opened in 1937 with a 25 to 30 cent ticket price. It had more than 1,000 seats, elaborate decorations inside and out and a two-story high cathedral ceiling.
In the 1970s, the United Artists theater chain purchased the theater, split it into four screens and it became a second-run movie house. It took a big hit when the Cinema Nine multiplex opened nearby in the early 1990s.
Jim Schwenterley, the co-owner of the nearby Nickelodeon Theater, said the Del Mar wasn’t managed well and failed to attract audiences. It fell on hard times in the 1980s and ‘90s and was shut down in 1999.
Schwenterley saw the vacant and rotting inside of the theater after it closed. The walls were peeling, there was water on the ground and rats were running in the aisles, he said.
“You’d walk in there and think, ‘Condemn this place,’” he said. “It was a mess.”
The Nickelodeon Theater, two blocks away from the Del Mar, had the opposite problem. It was too popular, according to Schwenterley, there were long lines and packed houses. He wanted to expand and find a new theater where he could screen additional movies.
The Santa Cruz Redevelopment Agency, meanwhile, was receiving proposals for what to do with the Del Mar, including turning it into a performing arts venue.
A new offer
But in late 2000, the Nickelodeon’s owners offered a proposal the redevelopment agency couldn’t refuse. The Nickelodeon, partnering with two local developers, would share in the costs of restoring the theater, operate it and offer the building for public events.
With that in mind, and with public support, the city’s redevelopment agency bought the building in June 2001 for $1.3 million and put in another $700,000 toward the cost of restoring it.
The two developers and Nickelodeon together put in an additional $1.1 million toward the cost of restoring the theater. New seats, screens, wall draperies, carpets, projector equipment, paint and a sound system were installed. More than $25,000 was spent on an elaborate neon marquee.
It now has three theaters, plays art films and attracts several hundred people a night, said Darrell Doan, the redevelopment agency project manager. There are three small businesses inside the building and the theater is used for nonprofit events for as many as 36 nights a year. Doan and Schwenterley said proudly that since it opened, it has hosted six film festivals with free admission.
“It’s become like a major gain for everybody,” said Schwenterley. “We got three extra screens that we really needed because we had so many movies and didn’t have room to play with our little fourplex.”
…
“In Santa Cruz, the Del Mar Theater is now the pride of the community and, according to Doan, is helping to reinvent the city’s theater district. The renovation project also was awarded the Art Deco Preservation Award by the Art Deco Society of California.
“It’s something that’s definitely doable. It’s not a pipe dream,” Doan said. “The key is to have a strong public commitment.”"
(see Google-cached article here))
There’s a 1933 photo of people in line under cover of the marquee at View link
I recall that in the mid-to-late ‘80s the north wall of the lobby was all but covered with a huge poster-mural of the 1970 movie Tora! Tora! Tora!
“In 1927 the Blue Mouse Theater at SW 10th & Washington Street, presented Portland’s first sound motion picture, Don Juan (1926) starring John Barrymore, a Warner Brothers/Vitaphone production featuring synchronized music and sound effects."
(see View link)
You can see a 1940 photo of the Blue Mouse (at it’s S.W. Tenth and Washington location) at View link
The three-story building that housed the theater is now gone, replaced by a modern twelve-story building.
The Blue Mouse was kitty-corner (to the southwest) from the present-day Pittock Building.
“In 1913 the newly constructed Sunnyside Theatre provided entertainment to a growing Southeast population. Located at 3451 SE Belmont Street, the Sunnyside operated for 22 years.
In 1935 it was renamed the Avalon. As multiplexes became popular, the Avalon’s main auditorium was divided into three theaters.
In 1987 the movie house became the Avalon Theater and Game Room. It continues to provide entertainment for young and old alike, drawing audiences with a combination of low ticket prices, a weekly variety of movies, and a 5-cent video arcade. “
(see View link)
“The CineMagic Theater at 2021 SE Hawthorne Boulevard opened in 1914 as the Palm.
It has since had a succession of owners and name changes, including
Along with tasty popcorn, tiny 1950s-style restrooms, and a glittering gold curtain that graces the stage, the 87-year-old theater features a mix of contemporary releases, second-run films, and classics—everything from foreign films to mainstream Hollywood.“
(see View link)
“The Acme Theatre, located at 23 North Russell Street, opened in 1910 and closed in 1915. Today nothing remains of the theater; the lot where it once stood is part of the Emanuel Hospital parking lot. Like many theaters built in the early part of the 20th century, the Acme suffered from competition with other North Portland neighborhood theaters. The Aden Theatre on North Mississippi Avenue, the Albina on North Russell Street, and the Columbia on North Lombard Street, all built in 1910 or 1911, also closed a few years later.”
(see View link)
You can see a photo of the Movie House building at View link