Moore Theatre facts for kids
Entrance to the Moore Theatre in 2007
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| Address | 1932 2nd Ave Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
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| Owner | Seattle Theatre Group |
| Capacity | 1,800 |
| Current use | Performing arts venue |
| Construction | |
| Opened | December 28, 1907 |
| Architect | E. W. Houghton |
| Website | |
| www.stgpresents.org | |
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Moore Theatre and Hotel
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| NRHP reference No. | 74001958 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | August 30, 1974 |
The Moore Theatre is a historic building in Seattle, Washington, USA. It's a place where people go to watch shows, concerts, and other performances. It has about 1,800 seats and is close to the famous Pike Place Market.
Opened in 1907, it's the oldest theater still active in Seattle! You can see plays, concerts, and talks there. The Seattle Theatre Group manages the Moore Theatre, along with the Paramount Theatre and the Neptune Theatre.
Contents
History of the Moore Theatre
A man named James A. Moore built the theater. He was a real estate developer in Seattle. E. W. Houghton designed the building. The Moore Theatre was a fancy place for wealthy people in Seattle in the early 1900s.
It opened in late 1907. This was just before the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition was supposed to happen. The fair was later moved to 1909. The Moore Theatre and the hotel next to it were built to entertain tourists for this big event.
Early Days and Changes
John Cort first managed the theater. He later started a big Broadway theatre in New York. The Moore Theatre continued to host shows through the 1930s.
Over time, entertainment changed. By the 1970s, the theater faced challenges. In 1975, it became the Moore Egyptian. Dan Ireland and Darryl MacDonald took over the lease. They added "Egyptian" to the name. This was to connect it to other Egyptian Theaters in the U.S. and Canada. There had been another Egyptian Theater in Seattle before.
Ireland and MacDonald turned the theater into a movie palace. Dennis Nyback was the person who ran the movie projector. The Moore Egyptian was where the first Seattle International Film Festival began in 1976. In 1981, the owners decided not to renew their lease. They moved to a Masonic Temple on Capitol Hill. They took the "Egyptian" name with them.
Modern Era and Recognition
The Moore Theatre and Hotel were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. This means it's a special historic building. Since the 1980s, the theater has hosted many touring musicians and plays. Today, it has about 1,800 seats.
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The Moore Theatre shows a part of history in Seattle and the United States. It once had a separate entrance for Black audience members. This entrance led to the balcony. You can still see this entrance around the corner from the main front door.
Architecture and Design
The theater is built from strong reinforced concrete. It has a huge steel beam that holds up the balcony. This means there are no support columns blocking the view. The outside of the building has white ceramic tiles and terra-cotta.
The design mixes styles from Byzantine and Italianate buildings. Like many theaters, the outside looks simpler. But the inside is very grand and decorative.
Inside the Theater
The stage area was the biggest in Seattle at the time. It had a very modern electrical system for its era. There were also many dressing rooms, which was unusual. When it first opened, the Moore could seat 2,436 people. This made it one of the largest theaters in the U.S. back then.
The Moore was known for its new building style. It used fancy materials and had beautiful decorations. The upper balcony was once separate from the rest of the theater. It even had its own staircase from just inside the front door.
E. W. Houghton, the architect, also designed the Seeley Theatre in Pomeroy, Washington. Like the Moore, the Seeley Theatre also uses a steel beam to support its balcony without columns. The Seeley Theatre now seats 270 people.
Famous Performances at the Moore
Many famous artists and shows have been recorded at the Moore Theatre. Here are some examples:
- The Who's rock opera Tommy was first performed as a full stage show here in 1971. Bette Midler was part of this production.
- Soundgarden's Fopp music EP was recorded at the Moore Theatre in 1988.
- Alice in Chains' Live Facelift video was filmed at the Moore Theatre in 1990.
- Pearl Jam's "Even Flow" music video uses footage from a concert at the Moore Theatre in 1992.
- Mad Season's Live at The Moore video was filmed at the Moore Theatre in 1995.
- Jeff Tweedy of Wilco used parts of his performance at the Moore Theater in his concert film Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest.
- Wanda Sykes filmed her comedy special Sick & Tired there.
- Two Progman Cometh music festivals were held there in 2002 and 2003. These led to three live albums.
- The Seattle band Queensrÿche filmed their home-DVDs Mindcrime at the Moore and Live Evolution at this venue.
- James Blunt had a concert there in 2008 as part of his All the Lost Souls world tour.
- Patton Oswalt's Finest Hour comedy album was recorded at the Moore.
- Jo Koy's comedy special "Live from Seattle" was filmed at the Moore in 2017.
