Elsinore Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Elsinore Theater
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Exterior of the theatre
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| Location | 170 High Street, SE Salem, Oregon |
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| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | Lawrence & Holford |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Tudor Gothic |
| Part of | Salem Downtown State Street – Commercial Street Historic District (ID01001067) |
| MPS | Architecture of Ellis F. Lawrence MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 91001575 |
| Added to NRHP | June 17, 1994 |
The Elsinore Theatre is a historic building in Salem, Oregon, United States. It's a large theatre with 1,290 seats. The Elsinore first opened its doors on May 28, 1926.
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Building the Elsinore Theatre
The Elsinore Theatre was designed to look like a castle. Its owner, George Guthrie, hired architects Lawrence and Holford. They created the theatre in a special style called Tudor Gothic. This style made it look like the castle in the city of Elsinore. This is the same castle from William Shakespeare's famous play Hamlet.
Unique Features of the Theatre
The main architect for the Elsinore was Ellis F. Lawrence. He was also the first dean of the University of Oregon's architecture school. The theatre has beautiful stained glass windows. These were made by the famous Povey Brothers Studio. It also has a huge Wurlitzer theatre organ. This type of organ was used to play music during silent movies. The original organ was removed in 1962, but a similar one is there today.
From Silent Films to Sound
When it first opened, the Elsinore Theatre was used for two main things. It hosted live performances and showed silent films. Just three years after it was built, in 1926, a company called Fox West Coast Theatres took over. This was when "talkies," or movies with sound, became popular. The Elsinore Theatre quickly started showing these new sound movies.
Saving a Historic Treasure
After many years, the Elsinore Theatre started to lose its sparkle. By 1954, it became a place that showed older, second-run movies. Then, in 1980, there was a plan to tear down the theatre. But many people in Salem loved the Elsinore. They didn't want to lose this important building.
Community Efforts to Save the Theatre
A group of people formed the Save the Elsinore Committee. They worked very hard to protect the theatre. During the 1980s, this group got permission to use the theatre for free. They held community events there for 18 days each year. This helped to get people excited about the theatre and its future.
A New Owner and Fundraising
For a while, the Elsinore was one of only a few movie theatres in downtown Salem. Many students from Willamette University enjoyed going there. The tickets were cheap, and it was close to campus. Around 1989, the theatre was sold to a company called Act III Theatres. This company still let the community use the theatre for special events.
However, Act III Theatres was not very interested in an old movie theatre. So, in 1990, they decided to sell it. The Save the Elsinore Committee saw this as a big chance. They started a fundraising campaign to buy the theatre themselves. They successfully raised the money and became the new owners!
Restoring the Elsinore's Beauty
The committee continued to raise money to keep the theatre running. Many famous actors even visited to help, like James Earl Jones and Gregory Peck. Finally, in February 2002, a big plan was made. An architectural firm called CB2 agreed to help fully restore the Elsinore. The restoration cost about $3.2 million. Thanks to these efforts, the Elsinore Theatre is still a beautiful place for shows and events today.
