Washington Center for the Performing Arts
512 Washington Street SE,
Olympia,
WA
98501
512 Washington Street SE,
Olympia,
WA
98501
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Related Websites
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Evergreen State Amusement Corp.
Architects: George B. Purvis
Functions: Movies (Silent), Performing Arts
Previous Names: Liberty Theatre, New Olympic Theatre, Olympic Theatre
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News About This Theater
- Feb 14, 2007 — Mystery Theaters
The Liberty Theatre opened on August 30, 1924 with Milton Sills in “The Last Hour” plus 5-acts of vaudeville. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 2 manual 9 ranks organ which was opened by organist Esther Steyner. By 1941 it was operated by Evergreen State Amusement Corp. The Liberty Theatre was renovated and refurbished in 1948 and was renamed the New Olympic Theatre movie house opening on April 2, 1948 with Clifton Webb in “Sitting Pretty”.
In the early-1980’s the Olympic Theatre was taken down to just a few exterior walls and completely rebuilt as the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. While the building’s façade still retains elements of the 1924 architecture, the interior is contemporary and modern.
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Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
They took the old theater down to PART of one wall to classify as a remodel. This was so the City of Olympia (as operators of this building) would not have to meet their own parking regulations!
The exterior is rather plain. I didn’t realize that this was a former theater when I saw it today.
Here are two November 2008 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/5s62qw
http://tinyurl.com/5zud4t
The theater is in the middle of a 4 million dollar facelift and remodeling. It will also get a marquee for the first time in it’s life. I will get pictures when the project is done in a few months.
Functions should include: Movies (silent)
Andy Crow, well-known Pacific Northwest organist who restored the pipe organ in this theater, passed away a few days ago. The pipe organ has been renamed the “Andy Crow Wurlitzer” in his memory. He will receive a posthumous award later in the year for his many years of playing music for silent movies in this and other theaters.
The September 20, 1924, issue of The Moving Picture World gives the opening date of the Liberty Theatre as August 30. The Moore Amusement Company house featured vaudeville and pictures:
Grand opening ad as Liberty from August 30th, 1924, posted.
Reopening as Olympic on April 2nd, 1948
Olympic theatre opening 01 Apr 1948, Thu The Olympian (Olympia, Washington) Newspapers.com
ad posted.
Wish that I could have seen this theatre in its original incarnation. The current rendering is a sterile, bland, 80’s style industrial motif. On the plus side, plenty of leg room.