Bagdad Theater
3702 SE Hawthorne Boulevard,
Portland,
OR
97214
3702 SE Hawthorne Boulevard,
Portland,
OR
97214
11 people favorited this theater
Showing 24 comments
The McMenamin chain has done well with the Bagdad. The theatre was never the biggest or most elaborate of Portland’s theatres, but it still has a charm all its own nonetheless. It’s size and fairly conservative decoative scheme made this one a reasonable target for mostly-authentic restoration. I say “mostly authentic” because the stage house and stage have been made over for use as a bar/pool table area with the original arabesque fire curtain turned around to serve as a backdrop for a spectacular brass-railed, turn-of-the century-wooden bar.
Traveled to Portland over the weekend and caught Guardians Of The Galaxy at the Bagdad. What an incredible experience! The theater itself is beautiful with comfy seats, small tables for food and drink, a balcony, and nicely restored interior design. Can’t recommend this place enough…
Their new official webpage has a couple good auditorium photos (one alternates with an exterior one at the top) – at http://www.mcmenamins.com/467-bagdad-theater-pub-history
It’s grand opening ad is uploaded in the photo section for this theatre.
This opened on January 14th, 1927
The local residents and merchants are very lucky to have such a vibrant cinema in their midst.
Various photos of the Bagdad can be seen here, here and here.
Several excellent color shots of the interior and exterior of the Baghdad for those of you who haven' checked out the McMinamens website
View link
Click on the gallery link directly below the shot of the exterior
Google Earth?
Here is an undated exterior photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2l87ah
Simon, you might want to check out cinematour.com. They feature many theater “tours,” of which many have lobby and auditorium photos (including the Bagdad).
Cinematour and Cinema Treasures work very well together for the total picture. As was pointed out by another poster on another theater page, Cinema Treasures is primarily a cinema nostalgia site, while Cinematour aims to document via photos, every known (existing or not, open or not) theater in the world. It also features an entertaining forum.
I like the facade. Besides, they’re different angles, and one is at night.
Enough of the repetitious facade shots… some auditorium pictures PLEASE and thank you.
The Kimball organ originally installed in the Bagdad Theater has been removed from the Galaxy Theater (now closed to be turned into offices) in Guttenberg, NJ and is to be installed in the auditorium of Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Wayne, NJ.
My wife and I enjoyed “Children of Men” at the Bagdad week-before-last. This theatre has a wonderful atmosphere. I would not call it restored, but certainly well-preserved and nicely maintained. The restaurant in the front of the building has fantastic muralwork which compliments, but doesn’t imitate, the intact decorative painting of the theatre proper. I would call the historic decorative style of the theatre’s interior to be “Islamo-Byzantine Meets the Book of Kells.”
Here is a photo, possibly late 20s or early 30s:
http://tinyurl.com/yfca9h
A night time image of the BAGDAD.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/256453704
One of my images of the BAGDAD
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/254583124
I visited the Bagdad for the first time in August. It is very majestic and beautiful. McMenamins has good food and skilled artists, however, I’m not sure how much original things were changed after McMenamins bought it. But what matters is that it’s still here and still running film. Great place.
Re: “a format it has maintained to this day, with one exception.”
What was the one exception?
The “Related websites” link is now broken. It should be changed to
http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=9
All of the venues that these folks run look fascinating! I wish we had them in New England.
Here is a link to some photos and history:
View link
The Bagdad shows up in the movie “What The #$%! Do We Know?.” Several nice shots of the auditorium, lobby and marquee.
“What the #$%!…” is a wonderful quasi documentary with dramatizations of the mixing of quantum mechanics and spirituality. (!) Hope you can see it in a theatre rather than on video. Really hope it plays at the Bagdad.
There was a small screen around the corner from the Bagdad called The Backstage. Maybe 150 seats. A few sofa type seats too. Lotsa B pictures played at the Backstage. You bought your ticket at the Bagdad boxoffice though.
correct weblink now
http://www.mcmenamins.com/sales/pubs/bagdad.html