Rose Theatre
115 S. Main Street,
Colfax,
WA
99111
115 S. Main Street,
Colfax,
WA
99111
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I lived in Colfax for one record-hot summer and one record-snow winter, 1961-62. What had been the original Rose Theatre on Main Street had been converted to the Perry & Lee men’s clothing store on the ground floor, with the law offices of Evans Bunker occupying the street-side section of the second floor balcony, which otherwise had been walled off from what had been the auditorium.
A walking tour of downtown Colfax says that the Rose Theatre opened in 1916. 1920 was the year of its remodeling by architect Gustav Pehrson. The Rose Theatre is mentioned in both the May 11 and the June 29, 1918 issue of Motography.
Dallas Movies you uploaded a picture of the Liberty on this site and also alluded to the Ridgeway and Orpheum, none of which are on Cinema Treasures. Since you have the information about these can you establish them?
There was more than one Rose Theatre in Colfax. When the original Rose closed, its sign and name was moved (as well as some equipment) to the other cinema, a postwar concrete purpose built building. It had another name before being re-named the Rose. It was open until the mid 1970s, and probably was the 425 seat venue referred to earlier. I purchased and removed the projection and sound equipment in the mid ‘70s, and still have the Motiograph sound rack which started its life in the original Rose and was later moved to Rose II.
The correct spelling of the architect’s surname is Pehrson. Gustav Albin Pehrson was born in Sweden in 1882 and immigrated to the United States in 1905, ultimately settling in Spokane. He practiced architecture there from 1913 until his death in 1968. The September 3, 1993, issue of the Spokane Spokesman-Review devoted almost a full page to Pehrson, which can be read online at Google News.
Uploaded a postcard image of Main Street showing the Rose on the right.
Since Colfax was the birthplace of Turner Classic Movies' Robert Osborne on can presume he spent many hours in the Rose.
The theater had a balcony which coould only be reached by an outside stairway next to the box office. In the 1950s the theater became the Perry and Lee men’s clothing store and the balcony office of attorney and police judge Evans Bunker.
The theater was owned at least from 1955-1967 by Saffle’s Theater Service of Seattle, Maurice Saffle, Head. He had 44 theaters in Washington, Idaho and Alaska.
Need an address, more info and photos.