Lynwood Theatre
4569 Lynwood Center Road,
Bainbridge Island,
WA
98110
4569 Lynwood Center Road,
Bainbridge Island,
WA
98110
4 people
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If anyone knows how to change the seating tab at the top of the page the Lynwood has 260 seats.
The Lynwood is now digital, we switched about 6 months ago and I have to say it has been great. The flexability is amazing. so much easier than film. I loved film but now that I’ve used this new equip. I don’t want to go back. We have NEC NC1200C proj. with GDC server and full digital 5.1 sound. Picture and sound is great!
Multiple generations of my family worked in this theatre over the years. I managed it for a short time. My oddest memory was of a cranky nurse who rented an apartment in the same building, above the theatre. She would get up and come by and ask me to turn down the sound! It struck me as really odd that someone who worked an early AM shift chose to rent an apartment room that shared a wall with the theatre’s screen.
The theatre is getting ready to celebrate 75 years on July 3rd. We will have Dennis James play our house organ to the silent classic “Phantom of the Opera” along with some other yet to be finalized festivities. I will post more when the details become final.
This July 5th we will be celebrating 75 years of entertainment.
I have no idea where the 75 figure came from for the seating capacity, but the theatre has 260 seats. Originally it had 450 but when it was reseated the new seats were wider and the rows were spaced farther apart to give more leg room. Also the new concessions stand and office was built into the back wall of the auditorium eliminating about 4 rows.
Seats 75, apparently – View link
Renovations at Lynwood Center are coming along with the sidewalks expanded and the parking is much improved. We have a newly paved lot on the east side and another on the west as well as parking all across the front of the building. The new owners of the building are commited to bringing this place back, and making sure that it will be around for generations to come.
Lynwood Center is in the process of getting much needed renovations. The building has a new owner who is rebuilding the 80+ year old structure to include new wiring and other upgrades. The theater will remain unchanged only receiving new wiring and other out of sight improvements. (plumbing foundation work etc.) This will bring the building up to code and keep it around for another 80 years.
The Lynwood now has an Organ of it’s own. We purchased a Conn 652 and used it in January with a screening of “The Gold Rush” staring Chaplin. It sounded great and now makes it easier for us to do a wider variety of programing.
The Lynwood now has a new marquee made of S.Steel and is emblazioned with neon. The new signage was in the process of being fabricated when the photo was taked by Lost Memory. Also the front of the theatre as well as the building has been cleaned up and is nicer looking today.
Well the July 5th birthday celebration was a great success! Everyone enjoyed the films and score played on the organ by Dennis James. It looks like the theatre will make this an annual event every July 5th as there is a real interest in this type of programing. It is a great way to wrap up the July 4th holiday, and see a type of entertainment that is rarely available today.
Another birthday is coming up for the Lynwood on July 5th and this year we are showing another silent film with Dennis James on the organ. We will have “The Black Pirate” staring Douglas Fairbanks (I think) and a short film with Buster Keaton. The Black Pirate is one of the first full length freature films to be photographed in 2 strip technicolor, a silent film that is in color is very unusual. 71 years and still counting!!!
Thank-you David for coming to the Lynwood, I’m glad you had a nice time. TJ and I are always working at improving the theater and trying to make it a comfortable community oriented entertainment destination. We also welcome any sugestions from our patrons on how we can do better.
David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com
The African Queen (1951)
Wednesday, February 14, 5:00 & 7:30pm
The Historic Lynwood Theater, Bainbridge Island
After many attempts and several near misses, I finally made the trip to Bainbridge Island for The Historic Lynwood Theater’s Valentines Day screening of The African Queen. A short hop from the Coleman Dock and a quick ride down a country lane (well, Lynwwod Center Road) ended at the quaint little strip, a bit reminiscent of Chaplin’s La Brea Avenue cottages. The theater is smack in the middle
Lunch at The Treehouse Café faired well, good soup, great coffee, friendly service, in general a nice roomy place to hang out before or after the show. The theater itself is charming, very well loved, with a faithful crowd of local moviegoers. The atmosphere is cordial and relaxed. I really got a kick out of watching folks arrive for the show to warm greetings with a little schmooze, definitely not the urban multi-plex vibe of icy indifference. What a great place to watch a movie! I was amazed to learn The Lynwood has been in continuous use since opening in 1936! There are generations in their audience that have grown up watching films here, and for years, it was literally the only show in town. Comfy seats inside, plenty of legroom, and a nice big screen. Carefully chosen updates to the building over years have retained the charm, while improving the theatergoing experience. A nicely produced souvenir program from their 2006, seventieth anniversary is filled with memories of The Lynwood’s patrons. What I wouldn’t give for a snapshot of Mister Peepers in the popcorn machine! I’m already looking forward to my next visit!
Here are links to the expanded film preview and post-show theater review, including a photo of the snazzy new (restored) marquee, taken the night of the show.
View link
View link
I’m also including the link to The Lynwood’s home page.
http://www.lynwoodtheatre.com/index.html
I’ve got to say I disagree with the above criticism. There seemed to be adequate parking and Lynwood Center is no more than a ten minute drive from the Winslow Ferry dock. The wooded setting has more than a little to do with The Lynwood’s charm. Coffee at the Treehouse, before a matinee on a rainy Saturday afternoon sounds perfect to me!
The 70th anniversary celebration came off without a hitch, everyone had a great time and the fims played to packed houses for both evening performanced. On the 5th The Cameraman was great with Dennis James on the organ, may people think that a Silent festival should become part of the programing and this may come to pass as TJ is concidering it. Swing Time was a lot of fun also. Truly a couple of nights to remember. The newly restored marquee os magnificent!
The truly remarkable thing about the Lynwood is the consistent quality of films TJ selects. The Lynwood shows independent films, foreign films, documentaries, and occasionally, a Hollywood blockbuster. Once a month there is a Classics Night where a great film of the past is featured. On Halloween, TJ bravely produces two showings of “Rocky Horror Picture Show”, which generally sells out the 260-seat auditorium. “Rocky Horror” attracts the usual crowd of costumed devotees, and I use the term “bravely” because the cleanup of rice, toast, water, and toilet paper is horrendous, but worth the effort to have this event.
TJ has done a great job upgrading the theatre without losing the feel of the old time, single-screen picture show. With its beautifully renovated marquee, it proudly proclaims itself a gem in the rich Bainbridge Island cultural scene.
The Lynwood Theatre is a great Bainbridge Island resource that attracts movie fans from all over the area. I feel like I could go to every movie they show and I wouldn’t be disappointed ever, although I’d certainly have my favorites. The shows at the Lynwood are all interesting, well-made, and thought provoking, and we are very lucky to have it here on the island. I hope the Lynwood goes on forever.
The Silent film being presented on July 5th is The Cameraman (1928)staring Buster Keaton and Dennis James from the Paramount will be playing a theater organ with the film. On July 6th they will be showing Swing Time (1936) Staring Fred Astair and Ginger Rodgers. The Idea is to show what movies were like before the Lynwood and after the Lynwood. The theater opened in 1936 and prior there were only silent movies on Bainbridge Island.
The 70th Anniversary will be July 5th & 6th. The program on the 5th will feature a silent film along with organ music. The organist from the Paramount in Seattle is comming over with a portable organ and is going to play for 2 shows. There will also be a marquee re-lighting after the 2nd show. There has not been any external neon on the marquee for about 50 years. The program on the 6th will feature a musical film from the 1930’s. The intent is to show what movie’s were like before the lynwood and after the lynwood. This is going to be a lot of fun, tickets for both shows are on sale at the theater or by contacting TJ at the address on their web site.
Along with air conditioning the theater now has new seats, a new screen and new sound system (SDDS). The projection equip was also updated. The lobby was remodeled with a new consessions counter that is evocative of the 1930’s in design, and both restrooms have been gutted and redone. There are also several original paintings adorning the lobby of movie stars of the 30’s, thru today. Very nice. TJ also uses real butter on the popcorn. The marquee is being redone in stainless steel and neon, should be finished for the 70th aviversary this spring.
The Lynwood now has air conditioning. The manager Tj is a personal friend of mine and has done a great job rescuing this theater from closure. The theater is owned by the same people who own Bainbridge Cinemas in Winslow. Parking is still a bit of a challenge, but thats true anywhere on the island. Tj took the theater from first run to art house when it was decided that the place could not support itself anylonger. Since then the Lynwood is a solid money maker, always turning in a healthy profit. The theater is now in the midst of restoring the original marquee. The interior is rather plain but all the original elements are still in place except the procenium which was widened in the 1950’s for cinemascope. The Lynwood is a great example of how a single screen can survive in todays market. And Tj does not show any commercials or advertising, she refuses!! Instead she deliveres a 1 to 2 minute talk on the film your about to enjoy and then its on with the show. Well worth the drive to Bainbridge Island in Kitsap County Washington.
Theres no air conditioning?
The Lynwood is in part a dream-cinema doing everything that a film-lover would do with a filmhouse, but it’s not in all regards a dream-cinema for attendees. It’s strangely located out in the middle of nowhere, but worth the journey as it’s the only Kitsap County venue that shows more than the usual commercial releases or recent second-runs. I finally stopped driving out to it because it was getting unhealthy: if it got lucky with good attendance, lacking air conditioning, it was like watching a film from inside an Easy Bake Oven. Parking can be difficult as well, as it has next to none.
I grew up on Bainbridge Island and had some great times at the Lynwood Theatre as a child. When I was 17 I was lucky enough to be hired as projectionist by Glen and Lucille Nolta. My future wife worked there as a concessionaire. I ended up working there for almost 10 years, becoming a manager after Sam Granato bought it from the Noltas and put in automated projection equipment. My wife Jeri was also a manager for Sam until we moved off the Island in 1986. Tj is still doing a great job keeping the place going!