The Elsinore Theatre is
1,290-seat
theatre located in Salem,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

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, that first opened on May 28, 1926.

Early years

Owner George Guthrie enlisted the firm of Lawrence and Holford to design the theatre in a Tudor Gothic style meant to resemble the castle in the city of Elsinore from Shakespeare's play ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''. Ellis F. Lawrence, the first dean of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

school of architecture, was the project's principal architect. The building features

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

by the Povey Brothers and a Mighty

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements of ...

similar to the original, which was dismantled in 1962. Originally the Elsinore was designed for live performances and silent films. Three years after its construction in 1926, Guthrie leased the theatre to Fox West Coast Theatres. It was at this time that sound movies came to the theatre.

Decline and restoration

In 1954, the theater began a general decline from its once great status in Salem into a second-run movie theater. In 1980, the Elsinore was set to be demolished. A grassroots effort known as the ''Save the Elsinore Committee'' did not want to let this historical treasure be demolished, and so began to work hard with local authorities to save the theater. During the 1980s, the ''Save the Elsinore Committee'' obtained the consent of the owner to use the theater for 18 days of the year for free community events in order to spark public interest about the theater and its fate. Until 1987, the theater was one of only three active movie theaters in downtown Salem (the others being the Capitol Theater just around the corner and an arthouse theater). Many of its customers came from

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

, drawn both by low admission prices and by the fact that the Elsinore was only two blocks off campus. In approximately 1989, the theater was sold to

Act III Theatres Act III Theatres was an American company that owned movie theater multiplexes and screens principally located in the U.S. states of Texas, Oregon and Washington (U.S. state), Washington. The company was in business from 1986 to 1997, when it was ...

in conjunction with several other local movie theaters in the possession of Tom Moyer, who was the owner at the time. ACT III continued to allow the community to have limited use of the theater. ACT III did not have any interest in a 60-year-old movie theater however, and thus put it up for sale in 1990. The ''Save the Elsinore Committee'' jumped at the chance to gain ownership of the theater and launched a fundraising drive to purchase it. The funds were raised, and the theater was purchased. It continued to raise money for its operational costs through fundraising in the community and was graced by appearances from many stars at the turn of the millennium, most notably by actors

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for black actors in the entertainment industry, Jones is known for his extensive and acclaimed roles on stage and screen. Jones is one of the few perfor ...

and

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 12th-greatest male ...

. Finally, in February 2002, a deal was cut with CB2, the architectural firm also responsible for Salem's Riverfront Carousel, to help restore the Elsinore completely at an estimated cost of $3.2 million.

References

External links

The Elsinore Theatre
(official website)
Statesman-Journal article on stained glass restoration
{{Authority control 1926 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Salem, Oregon Cinemas and movie theaters in Oregon Culture of Salem, Oregon Music venues in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Oregon Theatres in Oregon Tourist attractions in Salem, Oregon Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Oregon