Broadway Theatre

916-18 Broadway,
Tacoma, WA 98402

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Sterling Theaters, Inc., Telenews Theaters

Architects: Roland Borhek

Styles: Art Deco, Colonial Revival

Previous Names: Colonial Theatre, Beverly Theatre, Telenews Theatre

Nearby Theaters

Colonial Theatre, Tacoma, Washington in 1916

The Colonial Theatre opened on October 21, 1914. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 4 manual 9 ranks organ. The building was completely remodeled in 1931, with a shiny black Vitrolite and nickel-silver exterior. The Wurlitzer organ was transferred to the new Fox Theatre, Spokane in 1931. On August 21, 1934 it was renamed Beverly Theatre, named after the daughter of Mike Barovic, the manager of the theatre.

The Beverly Theatre name was replaced by the Telenews Theatre on September 15, 1945. The new owners remodeled the theatre and gave it a new neon marquee. The Telenews lasted until 1949. For the most part, it showed newsreels, travelogues and documentaries. On June 23, 1949, it became the Broadway Theatre, owned by L.E. Allen. I am unsure how long it ran as the Broadway Theatre.

The building was demolished in 1988 and the site became a parking lot.

Contributed by Katie Mac

Recent comments (view all 11 comments)

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on July 8, 2009 at 2:20 am

The Telenews can be seen in this 1948 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/mj2o7n

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 7, 2010 at 5:34 am

A brief biography of Tacoma architect Roland Borhek credits him with the original 1914 design of the Colonial Theatre, as well as that of the Rialto Theatre in 1918. The PSTOS page chuck linked to misspells his first name.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 7, 2010 at 5:37 am

Actually, the PSTOS page for the Colonial/Broadway doesn’t even mention Borhek. It’s their page for the Rialto that misspells his name.

Trolleyguy
Trolleyguy on June 30, 2014 at 12:58 pm

Was this theater being used by a community theater group in 1963-64? I recall seeing a live production then in a former movie theater downtown.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 30, 2014 at 2:00 pm

The Tacoma Public Library doesn’t provide permlinks for photos, so I don’t know if this will work, but if it does this photo should show the Colonial Theatre in 1920.

rivest266
rivest266 on July 10, 2021 at 8:46 am

The Colonial Theatre opened on October 21st, 1914. Grand opening ad posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on July 11, 2021 at 12:13 pm

Reopened as the Beverly on august 21st, 1934. Grand opening ad posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on July 11, 2021 at 2:36 pm

Reopened as Telenews on September 15th, 1945. another ad was posted.

rivest266
rivest266 on July 11, 2021 at 3:59 pm

Renamed Broadway on June 23rd, 1949 with still another ad posted.

Jake Bottero
Jake Bottero on January 29, 2022 at 8:51 pm

Currently a parking lot.

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