Liberty Theatre
1 S. Mission Street,
Wenatchee,
WA
98801
1 S. Mission Street,
Wenatchee,
WA
98801
1 person
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Sun Basin Theatres (Official)
Additional Info
Operated by: Sun Basin Theatres
Previously operated by: Evergreen State Amusement Corp., Fox Circuit
Architects: Edwin Walker Houghton
Functions: Movies (First Run)
Previous Names: Fox Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
509.662.4567
Manager:
509.662.4567
Nearby Theaters
This huge old theatre was part of the Fox Theatres chain when it opened in January 1920, but Fox was forced to divest in an antitrust suit. Renamed the Liberty Theatre, it has now grown to include most of the block. I had a hard time telling where the original entrance had been. One entrance is on the ground floor of an Eagles Hall, and one seems to be in what looks like a 1960’s bank.
The giant wall advertisement is very well preserved, the word ‘FOX’ is still visible under ‘LIBERTY’, and the motto is ‘The Show Palace of Wenatchee’.
On February 25, 2025 there was a partial collapse of the auditorium ceiling plaster. The theatre will be temporary closed until investigations to what caused the collapse and remedial work has been completed.
Contributed by
Seth Gaines
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
photos & history:
View link
Three new screens have been added this year, bringing the total screen count to 8. This makes The Liberty somewhat unique in that the original theater (with its 3 screens is at the north end of the block, 2 screens in a separate building (originally the Vitaphone Theater) in middle of the block and the new screens in another building at the south end of the block.
The February 3, 1951, issue of Boxoffice said that the Liberty Theatre had recently been reopened after remodeling and redecoration. When construction of the Liberty began in 1918, it was Wenatchee’s first brick theater. The first owner of the house was N.I. Neubauer.
The Boxoffice item about the reopening also mentioned three earlier movie theaters in Wenatchee. The first theater built to accommodate both movies and stage shows in town was the Wenatchee Theatre, opened in 1905 by Ed Ferguson. Later there was a Gem Theatre, located in the Olympic Hotel building, and then a Majestic Theatre. No opening dates are given for the latter two houses.
A document prepared for the National Register of Historic Places has information about the Liberty Theatre, including the fact that it was designed by architect Edwin W. Houghton.
Now operated by Sun Basin Theatres. Website:
http://liberty.ncwmovies.com/ :
The ceiling collapsed during a screening of “Captian America, Brave New World” Tuesday evening. Only two patrons were in the auditiorium at the time, neither was injured. The theater will remain closed until futther notice. The news article below has a picture of the damage.
https://www.ncwlife.com/news/ceiling-collapses-at-liberty-cinema-main-theater/article_13e2d07c-f45e-11ef-9f61-57be90beb9c6.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawIsMLZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdi1fqddCy8xaO
Wenatchee, WA: Liberty Cinema Closed After Roof Collapses [Feb 27, 2025]
The collapse happened at one of the auditoriums while “Brave New World” was still playing. Despite nobody injured, one of the moviegoers yelled “RUN!” before the ceiling came crashing down.
According to the website, all programming at the Liberty has been moved over down the street to the old Vitaphone theatre.
Hey Trolley, do you know what screen number the collapse happened?