Venetian Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Venetian Hillsboro |
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Venetian Hillsboro, renovated in 2020, opened as a restaurant & venue. Now operates as a venue with multiple rentable spaces.
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| General information | |
| Status | Venetian Hillsboro | Venetian Ballroom | Venue |
| Town or city | Hillsboro, Oregon |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 45°31′22″N 122°59′14″W / 45.52278°N 122.98722°W |
| Construction started | 1925 |
| Completed | 1925 |
| Renovated | 2007–2008 | 2020-2021 |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Ralph Hill |
| Renovating firm | Partin and Hill Architects | NW Event Management Group, Inc. |
Venetian Hillsboro is a special building in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon. It used to be a movie theater and a place for live shows. Since 2022, it has been used as a venue for different events.
The building was first built in 1888 as a bank. Later, in 1911, a mayor named Orange Phelps turned it into a theater. In 1925, he made it a two-story building with a bigger stage area. It was known as the Town Theater for a while. After being closed for over ten years, it reopened in 2008. Before its big renovation, the city of Hillsboro owned the theater.
In 2008, when it reopened, a restaurant also shared the space. The theater and restaurant closed in 2017. A new owner bought the building in 2020. They planned to open a new restaurant and change the theater space into a ballroom. The restaurant opened in November 2020. The old theater seats were removed to make way for the ballroom. The restaurant faced many closures because of COVID-19 rules. It also closed after a fire in downtown Hillsboro in 2022. Now, Venetian Hillsboro offers different spaces for rent for events.
Contents
History of the Venetian Hillsboro Building
Early Days as a Bank and First Theater
In 1888, a banker named John W. Shute built a two-story building. It was the new home for the First National Bank of Hillsboro. The building had a special look called Italianate style. It had fancy iron decorations outside.
In 1911, the bank moved to a different spot. Orange Phelps, who later became mayor, bought the building. He borrowed money from the bank to buy it. Phelps then opened a theater called The Grand Theater. It had 200 seats. In 1915, the theater was made bigger to hold 500 people. It was then called the Liberty Theater.
Fires, New Names, and Famous Shows
In 1925, a fire destroyed the Liberty Theater. Phelps rebuilt it and named the new theater The Venetian. In 1929, the first movie with sound in Hillsboro was shown here. It was called The Broadway Melody.
Starting in 1935, Phelps held a free Christmas show for children every year. This tradition continued into the 1990s. In 1956, another fire badly damaged the building. Phelps rebuilt it again. It reopened the next year as the Town Theater, with over 800 seats. After this fire, Phelps often showed two movies for the price of one.
In 1961, a movie called Ring of Fire had its first showing at the theater. This movie was filmed nearby in Vernonia, Oregon. Phelps owned this theater and several others in Washington County until the 1970s.
Changes in Ownership and City Involvement
In 1978, Tom Moyer Theaters bought Phelps' theaters. Then, in 1989, Act III Theatres bought all of those theaters. In 1996, Act III closed the Town Theater. They sold the building to the city of Hillsboro for $1,500.
After buying the building, the city thought about different ways to use it. They even considered selling it to McMenamins, a company known for brewpubs. In 2001, Hillsboro bought the building next door for $160,000. This was to help with any plans for the theater. The city asked for ideas on how to fix up the building in 2007. For a short time, the space was used to store things for the Hillsboro Farmers’ Market. There was even talk of tearing it down because the repair costs kept going up.
Renovation and Reopening
In August 2007, the city sold the building to a developer named Denzil Scheller for just $10. The city also gave him $750,000 to help fix the old building. Scheller spent $2.5 million on the renovation. This money helped make the building safe from fires and earthquakes. It also made it easier for people with disabilities to use. About $1.5 million came from Scheller's own money. The rest came from the city and other funds.
The renovation work was huge. Workers had to take out the inside of the building to rebuild its support. They also removed dangerous materials like asbestos. A wall was opened to connect to the building next door. A local architecture company, Partin and Hill Architects, designed the changes.
Scheller decided to call the theater The Venetian again. This was its name from 1925. The old yellow sign of the Town Theater was taken down in September 2007. The city hoped the reopening would help make downtown Hillsboro a lively arts center. They wanted more people to visit after 5:00 p.m.
On July 9, 2008, the new The Venetian Theatre and Bistro opened. The theater part opened two days later, on July 11. In September 2008, a theater group called Bag & Baggage Productions started performing there. They opened their season with a play called Steel Magnolias. In October 2010, the renovation of the theater won an award for its great design.
Recent Changes and New Beginnings
In early 2017, the owner, Denzil Scheller, said he planned to sell the theater. The theater closed on April 13, hoping to reopen later. However, the sale did not happen. The building stayed closed. In August 2017, Scheller said he had found a new buyer, but he did not share details.
In April 2020, John Lee bought the building. He told the News-Times in May that he wanted to open a new, fancy restaurant. He also planned to turn the theater space into a ballroom.
A grand opening for the restaurant was planned for November 2020. But it was canceled because of new rules about indoor dining due to COVID-19. The restaurant finally opened in mid-February 2021. It was named Venetian Hillsboro. By then, the theater seats were gone. The space was slowly becoming a "ballroom-style space." Today, Venetian Hillsboro rents its spaces for private and public events.
Venetian Hillsboro Details
The Venetian Hillsboro is in downtown Hillsboro on Main Street. It is between Second and Third avenues. It is also just one block north of the Hillsboro Central MAX light rail station.
Before it closed in 2017, the building had a 370-seat theater. It also had a restaurant with an upstairs balcony. It reopened in 2021 with a new restaurant. The old theater space is now being changed into a ballroom. The balcony looks out over Main Street and has windows that can roll up. Outside, you can see pretty terra cotta pots and red roof tiles.
The renovation of the building from 2007 to 2008 was a key part of making downtown Hillsboro better. It was designed to bring more people to the area at night. Before its closure in 2017, the theater showed movies and hosted live shows and music.
