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Oriental Theatre (Portland, Oregon)

The Oriental Theatre was a movie theater located at 828 SE Grand Street in the East Portland commercial district of Portland, Oregon. Built in 1927, the Oriental was a 2,038-seat movie palace designed by Lee Arden Thomas and Albert Mercier.[2][3][4] The building's exterior was in the Italian Renaissance style. The interior had an "almost surreal appearance" created by interior designer Adrien Voisin.[3] It was built by George Warren Weatherly. Demolished in 1970, the theater was adjacent to the Weatherly Building, which remains standing.[2]

Oriental Theatre
The theater's main entrance, November 1969
Oriental Theatre
Location within Portland, Oregon
Address828 SE Grand
Portland, Oregon
United States
Coordinates45°31′01″N 122°39′39″W / 45.516815°N 122.660753°W / 45.516815; -122.660753
Capacity2,038
Current useDemolished (parking lot)
Construction
OpenedDecember 31, 1927[1]
Demolished1970
ArchitectLee Arden Thomas, Albert Mercier

Architecture and construction

 
The theater while under construction, August 1927

Walter Eugene Tebbetts is listed as "the promoter who persuaded Weatherly to build a theatre," and was the first lessee and manager of the theater.[2] Tebbetts previously managed the Italian Opera House in Chicago before arriving in Portland around 1909, after which he ran the Empire Theatre and a series of movie theaters, including the Hollywood Theatre.[2] Tebbetts presumably visited the East Indies while travelling abroad in the late 1920s, and wanted a theatre designed to look like an East Indian temple.[2]

Thomas and Mercier were chosen for their "association with East Portland" and their previous theatre design experience with the Bagdad Theater in Portland, McDonald Theatre in Eugene, and the Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay.[2] They moved into the Weatherly Building upon its completion.[2] The building cost was "variously reported between $300,000 and $500,000."[2] The general contractor of the building was Robertson, Hay, and Wallace.[2] While under construction, the project was called the "Crystal Ice & Storage Co. Office & Theatre Building."[2]

Groundbreaking began on March 21, 1927, and was completed by December.[2] The theater opened on December 31, 1927, and was originally known as Tebbetts' Oriental Theatre.[1]

The building was designed and built at the same time as the neighboring Weatherly Building. The exterior design matched the Weatherly Building, and heat was supplied from it.[2]

Design and appointment

 
Dome and chandelier, with a combined 5,400 light bulbs

The Oriental utilized Asian influences from India, Indochina, and China and included "columns on each side of the screen", said to be based on the Temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. There was a huge stylized face over the proscenium arch, "which had a wide open mouth baring fangs and eyes lit by red lightbulbs that would glow demonically before a show began" and "on the side walls and over the arch were life-sized plaster elephants, as well as apes, fishes, and mythological creatures, seemingly ready to pounce off the wall."[3]

The lobby and mezzanine were decorated with Hindu deities and "the main staircase leading to the balcony was flanked by a pair of huge dragons," while the auditorium was topped by a vast dome, lit indirectly by 2400 light bulbs, as well as a 2,000-pound (910 kg) "tree-sized Far Eastern style chandelier"[3] including 3000 light bulbs in seven colors, costing $7000.[2] The asbestos drop curtain was blue with gold fringes and tassels and included a hand-painted royal procession scene, with "towering snow-capped mountains in the background [and] a misty blue apparition of the seated Buddha."[2] The Historic American Buildings Survey noted the "remarkably early extensive use of neon lighting" in the sign and sheet-metal marquee.[2]

Music was provided by a $50,000 Wurlitzer 235 Special 3-manual 13-rank organ on an ascending platform, a full orchestra pit on another ascending platform.[2][3] The Wurlitzer was panned for being "never clearly audible from many of the nearly 5000 seats underneath the balcony", and for being difficult to hear for the organist.[2] Knabe concert grand pianos were used in the orchestra and on stage, as well as a Knabe-Ampico grand player piano in the smoking room.[2] The spacious stage was "large enough to accommodate the biggest stage shows of the day."[2][3] There were also "luxurious lounges, smoking rooms and even a nursery in its basement".[3] The nursery was called the "Kiddie Circus".[2] It changed to a movies-only format by the 1940s "and lost its towering vertical marquee in favor of a more modest marquee not long afterwards", but remained a city showplace for years, and was used in the mid-1960s for concerts on its "mighty Wurlitzer".[3]

Theatre operation

 
Showing the tall marquee originally mounted on the building's façade

The theatre opened on December 31, 1927, in the afternoon.[1] The grand opening included "An Atmospheric Prologue", and silent films The Girl from Everywhere and The Moon of Israel.[2] Portland mayor George Luis Baker dedicated the theatre, proclaiming he had "seen more expensive houses, but never a more beautiful one."[5] Shows initially cost 25 cents for matinees, 35 cents for evenings.[2][5]

The theatre upgraded to a sound system for talking pictures by 1930, perhaps earlier, as it won a bronze award for acoustics and sound systems from Will H. Hays's Exhibitors Herald-World that year. The Oriental advertised "WHERE THE SOUND IS BETTER" on their marquee in neon after winning the award.[2]

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a local theater company presented a summer season of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas in the Oriental.

Aside from independent operators, the theatre was leased to Evergreen Theatres in 1935, the Rainier Theatre Corporation/Fox-West Coast Theatre Company by 1940. While it "had a history of proving burdensome to independent operators", the theatre was leased to the City of Portland for 2.5 years in 1965. During this lease, Isaac Stern appeared with the Portland Symphony Orchestra on February 28, 1966.[2] It returned to showing films after the lease expired.[2]

Fate

 
The Weatherly Building and Oriental Theatre on December 31, 1927, the theater's opening day

Lobbying to save the theatre began by at least 1959, and after Clayton Weatherly died in May 1969, the heirs decided to sell, despite a "premium lease" offer that was made.[2]

Everything inside the theatre was auctioned off, with the Wurlitzer going to the Organ Grinder Restaurant, who later upgraded their console, sending the Oriental Theatre organ console to Uncle Milt's Pizza on Grand Blvd in Vancouver, Washington. Uncle Milt's Pizza closed in 1999, the organ-facaded building being sold to Rite Aid,[3][6][7] who abandoned plans to build a drugstore there. The location, in Vancouver, Wa, is now a Lord's Gym, Christian "sports outreach center".[8][9] Some of the plasterwork went to the Robin Hood Theatre in Sherwood, Oregon, which was being rebuilt and was subsequently renamed the Sherwood Oriental Theatre.[2]

The Oriental Theatre was demolished in February or April 1970, making room for parking at the Weatherly Building.[2][5] It was lamented as an "amazing old theater was tragically demolished to make way for another parking lot, an irreplaceable loss for the city of Portland".[3] As of 2021, the space formerly occupied by the Oriental is still a parking lot.

References

  1. ^ a b c Bowman, Marc K. (January 1, 1928). "Oriental Theater Real Work of Art; New Show House Crowded on Opening Day". The Sunday Oregonian. Section 1, pp. 1 and 4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Potter, Elisabeth Walton; Wheeler, Lucy Pope; Myers, Denys Peter (1970–79). "Oriental Theatre" (PDF). Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bryan Krefft Oriental Theater (Portland)
  4. ^ Constance M. Greiff Lost America: from the Mississippi to the Pacific Page 186; 1972 243 pages
  5. ^ a b c Lacher, Gary; Steve Stone (2009). Theatres of Portland (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-7147-8.
  6. ^ "PSTOS - Organ Grinder Restaurant, Portland Oregon". Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  7. ^ "PSTOS - Uncle Milt's Pizza Co, Vancouver Washington". Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society. Retrieved 2009-12-22.
  8. ^ Lord's Gym, Location - Vancouver, WA
  9. ^ Lord's Gym (Former Uncle Milt's Pizza) (Vancouver), Wikimapia

External links

  • Oriental Theatre, Portland, Oregon information and pictures on the Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society website
  • Portland theaters website with old photos (bottom of page)
  • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. OR-55, "Oriental Theatre, 828 Southeast Grand Avenue, Portland, Multnomah County, OR", 32 photos, 33 data pages

oriental, theatre, portland, oregon, oriental, theatre, movie, theater, located, grand, street, east, portland, commercial, district, portland, oregon, built, 1927, oriental, seat, movie, palace, designed, arden, thomas, albert, mercier, building, exterior, it. The Oriental Theatre was a movie theater located at 828 SE Grand Street in the East Portland commercial district of Portland Oregon Built in 1927 the Oriental was a 2 038 seat movie palace designed by Lee Arden Thomas and Albert Mercier 2 3 4 The building s exterior was in the Italian Renaissance style The interior had an almost surreal appearance created by interior designer Adrien Voisin 3 It was built by George Warren Weatherly Demolished in 1970 the theater was adjacent to the Weatherly Building which remains standing 2 Oriental TheatreThe theater s main entrance November 1969Oriental TheatreLocation within Portland OregonAddress828 SE GrandPortland OregonUnited StatesCoordinates45 31 01 N 122 39 39 W 45 516815 N 122 660753 W 45 516815 122 660753Capacity2 038Current useDemolished parking lot ConstructionOpenedDecember 31 1927 1 Demolished1970ArchitectLee Arden Thomas Albert Mercier Contents 1 Architecture and construction 2 Design and appointment 3 Theatre operation 4 Fate 5 References 6 External linksArchitecture and construction Edit The theater while under construction August 1927 Walter Eugene Tebbetts is listed as the promoter who persuaded Weatherly to build a theatre and was the first lessee and manager of the theater 2 Tebbetts previously managed the Italian Opera House in Chicago before arriving in Portland around 1909 after which he ran the Empire Theatre and a series of movie theaters including the Hollywood Theatre 2 Tebbetts presumably visited the East Indies while travelling abroad in the late 1920s and wanted a theatre designed to look like an East Indian temple 2 Thomas and Mercier were chosen for their association with East Portland and their previous theatre design experience with the Bagdad Theater in Portland McDonald Theatre in Eugene and the Egyptian Theatre in Coos Bay 2 They moved into the Weatherly Building upon its completion 2 The building cost was variously reported between 300 000 and 500 000 2 The general contractor of the building was Robertson Hay and Wallace 2 While under construction the project was called the Crystal Ice amp Storage Co Office amp Theatre Building 2 Groundbreaking began on March 21 1927 and was completed by December 2 The theater opened on December 31 1927 and was originally known as Tebbetts Oriental Theatre 1 The building was designed and built at the same time as the neighboring Weatherly Building The exterior design matched the Weatherly Building and heat was supplied from it 2 Design and appointment Edit Dome and chandelier with a combined 5 400 light bulbs The Oriental utilized Asian influences from India Indochina and China and included columns on each side of the screen said to be based on the Temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia There was a huge stylized face over the proscenium arch which had a wide open mouth baring fangs and eyes lit by red lightbulbs that would glow demonically before a show began and on the side walls and over the arch were life sized plaster elephants as well as apes fishes and mythological creatures seemingly ready to pounce off the wall 3 The lobby and mezzanine were decorated with Hindu deities and the main staircase leading to the balcony was flanked by a pair of huge dragons while the auditorium was topped by a vast dome lit indirectly by 2400 light bulbs as well as a 2 000 pound 910 kg tree sized Far Eastern style chandelier 3 including 3000 light bulbs in seven colors costing 7000 2 The asbestos drop curtain was blue with gold fringes and tassels and included a hand painted royal procession scene with towering snow capped mountains in the background and a misty blue apparition of the seated Buddha 2 The Historic American Buildings Survey noted the remarkably early extensive use of neon lighting in the sign and sheet metal marquee 2 Music was provided by a 50 000 Wurlitzer 235 Special 3 manual 13 rank organ on an ascending platform a full orchestra pit on another ascending platform 2 3 The Wurlitzer was panned for being never clearly audible from many of the nearly 5000 seats underneath the balcony and for being difficult to hear for the organist 2 Knabe concert grand pianos were used in the orchestra and on stage as well as a Knabe Ampico grand player piano in the smoking room 2 The spacious stage was large enough to accommodate the biggest stage shows of the day 2 3 There were also luxurious lounges smoking rooms and even a nursery in its basement 3 The nursery was called the Kiddie Circus 2 It changed to a movies only format by the 1940s and lost its towering vertical marquee in favor of a more modest marquee not long afterwards but remained a city showplace for years and was used in the mid 1960s for concerts on its mighty Wurlitzer 3 Theatre operation Edit Showing the tall marquee originally mounted on the building s facade The theatre opened on December 31 1927 in the afternoon 1 The grand opening included An Atmospheric Prologue and silent films The Girl from Everywhere and The Moon of Israel 2 Portland mayor George Luis Baker dedicated the theatre proclaiming he had seen more expensive houses but never a more beautiful one 5 Shows initially cost 25 cents for matinees 35 cents for evenings 2 5 The theatre upgraded to a sound system for talking pictures by 1930 perhaps earlier as it won a bronze award for acoustics and sound systems from Will H Hays s Exhibitors Herald World that year The Oriental advertised WHERE THE SOUND IS BETTER on their marquee in neon after winning the award 2 In the late 1950s and early 1960s a local theater company presented a summer season of Gilbert amp Sullivan operettas in the Oriental Aside from independent operators the theatre was leased to Evergreen Theatres in 1935 the Rainier Theatre Corporation Fox West Coast Theatre Company by 1940 While it had a history of proving burdensome to independent operators the theatre was leased to the City of Portland for 2 5 years in 1965 During this lease Isaac Stern appeared with the Portland Symphony Orchestra on February 28 1966 2 It returned to showing films after the lease expired 2 Fate Edit The Weatherly Building and Oriental Theatre on December 31 1927 the theater s opening day Lobbying to save the theatre began by at least 1959 and after Clayton Weatherly died in May 1969 the heirs decided to sell despite a premium lease offer that was made 2 Everything inside the theatre was auctioned off with the Wurlitzer going to the Organ Grinder Restaurant who later upgraded their console sending the Oriental Theatre organ console to Uncle Milt s Pizza on Grand Blvd in Vancouver Washington Uncle Milt s Pizza closed in 1999 the organ facaded building being sold to Rite Aid 3 6 7 who abandoned plans to build a drugstore there The location in Vancouver Wa is now a Lord s Gym Christian sports outreach center 8 9 Some of the plasterwork went to the Robin Hood Theatre in Sherwood Oregon which was being rebuilt and was subsequently renamed the Sherwood Oriental Theatre 2 The Oriental Theatre was demolished in February or April 1970 making room for parking at the Weatherly Building 2 5 It was lamented as an amazing old theater was tragically demolished to make way for another parking lot an irreplaceable loss for the city of Portland 3 As of 2021 the space formerly occupied by the Oriental is still a parking lot References Edit a b c Bowman Marc K January 1 1928 Oriental Theater Real Work of Art New Show House Crowded on Opening Day The Sunday Oregonian Section 1 pp 1 and 4 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Potter Elisabeth Walton Wheeler Lucy Pope Myers Denys Peter 1970 79 Oriental Theatre PDF Historic American Buildings Survey Washington D C Library of Congress Retrieved 2009 12 21 a b c d e f g h i j Bryan Krefft Oriental Theater Portland Constance M Greiff Lost America from the Mississippi to the Pacific Page 186 1972 243 pages a b c Lacher Gary Steve Stone 2009 Theatres of Portland Images of America Arcadia Publishing ISBN 978 0 7385 7147 8 PSTOS Organ Grinder Restaurant Portland Oregon Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society Retrieved 2009 12 22 PSTOS Uncle Milt s Pizza Co Vancouver Washington Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society Retrieved 2009 12 22 Lord s Gym Location Vancouver WA Lord s Gym Former Uncle Milt s Pizza Vancouver WikimapiaExternal links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oriental Theatre in Portland Oregon Oriental Theatre Portland Oregon information and pictures on the Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society website Portland theaters website with old photos bottom of page Historic American Buildings Survey HABS No OR 55 Oriental Theatre 828 Southeast Grand Avenue Portland Multnomah County OR 32 photos 33 data pages Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oriental Theatre Portland Oregon amp oldid 1105341225, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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