Egyptian Theatre
4537 University Way NE,
Seattle,
WA
98105
4537 University Way NE,
Seattle,
WA
98105
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As of May 2nd, 2018 the Egyptian is no more. Demolition well underway. The University District has been re-zoned to allow 30+ story buildings and this neighborhood is changing fast. Status should be changed to “Demolished”.
Any more interior pics of this theatre? The proscenium maybe and ceilings.
Still standing. Here is a link to an article with photos of some remaining details on the interior of the building.
Satellite View says paulnelson is correct. The building is still standing. Even the stage house is still there.
Also, we have our Google Street View set to the wrong side of the street, and a bit too far south. The Egyptian Theatre’s entrance was where Aladdin Falafel and the storefronts either side of it are now. The Dollar Tree store tdickensheets mentions is at the stage end of the theater.
If you take Street View around to the Brooklyn Avenue side of the block you can see the theater building across the parking lot, and it’s pretty obvious what it used to be.
Now is The Dollar Tree Store.
Egyptian is now Rite Aid Drugs I think. Building was not demolished. Only ruined. Should have been saved.
An ad for Heywood Wakefield seats on this page of the March 6, 1926, issue of Motion Picture News features a drawing of the Egyptian Theatre’s auditorium. The text calls the house “Warners' Elaborate and Unique new ‘Egyptian’ Theatre in Seattle….” and attributes the design of the house to the Portland, Oregon, architect E. A. Miller.
There is little information available about Edward A. Miller, but Gary Lacher and Steven Stone’s Theatres of Portland attributes the design of the slightly earlier Egyptian Theatre in that city to him as well. The fronts of the two theaters are quite similar, so I have no doubt that the attribution is correct.
The Egyptian Theatre was once part of the Evergreen State Amusement Corp., which was one of the subsidiaries of Fox Theatres and later National General Theatres.
There is a photo of the Egyptian from 1940 on this site. Enter theaters as a search term and browse the photos:
View link
Isn’t this site now a drugstore?
The Egyptian Theatre opened on 25th December 1925.
For those who love the Egyptian style, there are a number of theatres that have had that theme, and an entire special issue of “Marquee” magazine was devoted to them in their issue of: Vol. 29, #3; Third Qtr. 1997, and the issue features wonderful color covers of the EGYPTIANS in Milwaukee (in the form of a wonderful color painting by artist Mark Hylton of Columbus, OH) and Ogden Ut. The table of such themed theatres includes 45 examples of those now, or at one time, with us. An introduction and Prologue carry one to those ancient days, and individual articles on the Ogden and Hollywood help detail the existing examples. Many other photos are included.
PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
To obtain any available Back Issue of either “Marquee” or of its ANNUALS, simply go to the web site of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA at:
www.HistoricTheatres.org
and notice on their first page the link “PUBLICATIONS: Back Issues List” and click on that and you will be taken to their listing where they also give ordering details. The “Marquee” magazine is 8-1/2x11 inches tall (‘portrait’) format, and the ANNUALS are also soft cover in the same size, but in the long (‘landscape’) format, and are anywhere from 26 to 40 pages. Should they indicate that a publication is Out Of Print, then it may still be possible to view it via Inter-Library Loan where you go to the librarian at any public or school library and ask them to locate which library has the item by using the Union List of Serials, and your library can then ask the other library to loan it to them for you to read or photocopy. [Photocopies of most THSA publications are available from University Microforms International (UMI), but their prices are exorbitant.]
Note: Most any photo in any of their publications may be had in large size by purchase; see their ARCHIVE link. You should realize that there was no color still photography in the 1920s, so few theatres were seen in color at that time except by means of hand tinted renderings or post cards, thus all the antique photos from the Society will be in black and white, but it is quite possible that the Society has later color images available; it is best to inquire of them.
Should you not be able to contact them via their web site, you may also contact their Executive Director via E-mail at:
Or you may reach them via phone or snail mail at:
Theatre Historical Soc. of America
152 N. York, 2nd Floor York Theatre Bldg.
Elmhurst, ILL. 60126-2806 (they are about 15 miles west of Chicago)
Phone: 630-782-1800 or via FAX at: 630-782-1802 (Monday through Friday, 9AM—4PM, CT)