View of the Portland Theatre just before it opened in 1928. [1], In 2016, Willamette Week referred to the Paris as "an adult movie theater, sex club and safe space for public masturbators", and a "shining beacon to furtive men hiding their faces from the Voodoo Doughnut line". In the mid-1980s, the Paramount was restored and renamed The Portland. [3], In 2007, Ray Billings, owner of Jefferson Theatre, closed that venue and relocated his adult movie theater operation to the Paris. Paris Theatre, formerly Third Avenue Theatre and also known as Paris Theater or Ray's Paris Theatre, is an historic building in Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, in the United States. You can see signs for The Orpheum, The Rialto Theatre and the Paramount. The organ was moved to the. The Bob White Theatre at 65th and Foster Road. View of the Blue Mouse Theatre in 1955, which was known as the Globe Theatre in earlier years. It was listed in Film Daily from at least 1941 to 1950. The building was a live venue and nightclub until it closed in October 2019. Perhaps you will be interesting. Oriental Theater, Portland The Oriental Theater, which existed in Portland, OR from 1927 through 1970, is an example of a lost cinema treasure. The theater screened heterosexual adult films on one large screen and gay pornography on a smaller screen. The cinema screened the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat for four years. [6], This article is about the theatre in Portland, Oregon. Portland’s Hippodrome Theatre on Broadway as it looked when the silent version of “The Road to Ruin” was released in 1928. A large Wurlitzer organ was installed here in 1926. Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, opened 1926 The only Spanish Colonial Revival style movie theater in Portland, the Hollywood was modeled after the Roman Baths of Caracalla and the Italian Basilica of St. Pietro of Lorenzo Bernini. Season, mini package, and single show tickets are available. [1] The venue was open 24 hours to patrons age 18 or older; as of 2007, entry cost $8.[5]. Due to lack of operational revenue, the theater was closed, demolished, and remains to this day as a parking lot. The men standing in the aisles do not have their pants on, and look very comfortable. 03 of 13 Some time shortly after this view, the name was changed to the “Pantages”. The Vanport Theater opened Aug. 12, 1943. A larger Pantages Theatre on Broadway and Alder streets, when Vaudeville was King, circa 1915. The Columbia Theatre on Sixth near Stark street circa 1915. The building was remodeled into offices in the 1980s after being used as a garage and for car parts storage for nearly a century. In the 1920s, silent movies burst upon the scene. The Oregon Theater which opened in 1925 at 35th and SE Division streets. [2] The venue closed in October 2019. Early advertising card for the Heilig Theatre from 1907. Sixth & Stark streets, Columbia Theatre on the left. The men in the seats have their pants on and look nervous. The Hollywood Theatre is a theatre owned by a non-profit organization whose mission is to entertain, inspire, educate and connect the community through the art of film, while preserving a historic Portland landmark. Paris Theatre, located at 6 Southwest Third Avenue at the intersection of Third and West Burnside Street in downtown Portland's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, operates as a venue and nightclub. The Alameda Theatre under construction on May 9, 1926. The Rex Theatre was at Third and Morrison streets and the Capitol Theatre can be seen behind it. Their plan is to host weekend dance parties and return the venue to its old appearance, which includes front exterior improvements and returning the marquee. The Broadway Theatre building was demolished in 1988. [3], By 2003, the building served as a nightclub and music venue. Portland's first theater, the New Market Theater at SW First between Ash and Ankeny was built in 1872 by "Captain" Ankeny. The lobby of the Oriental Theatre which was one of the most ornate theaters ever built. As part of the Oregon Historic Theaters project, the University of Oregon’s Community … Avalon Theatre, established as the Sunnyside Theatre in 1912, is the oldest operating movie theater in Portland, Oregon, and is believed to be the state's oldest theater and the first with more than one screen. The ornate Empress Grand Theatre at Washington and Park streets on January 30, 1913. [3], Known for showing second-run films on two screens and for low prices, the theater has an Art Deco design but Avalon's main feature is its classic nickel arcade, which was established in conjunction with the theatre in 1925. In 2007, Willamette Week included the Paris in its list of Portland sites "Where Ghosts Wouldn't Be Caught Dead". As you enter, all faces—translucent in the pale pink flicker of the theater—look away from the interlocking figures on the screen and gaze hopefully, instead, on you. The Heilig Theatre on Broadway between Taylor and Yamhill in 1915 opened in 1911. The Pantages Theatre as it looked in 1915. The building was remodeled into offices in the 1980s after being used as a garage and for car parts storage for nearly a century. The Alder Theatre sign advertises “all talking” movies. [3], The venue was later renamed Paris Theatre and converted to a movie cinema. [2] John McKee purchased the Avalon in 1964, and became the first cinema in Portland to operate with multiple screens. [1][3][4], Cinema Treasures said the building's exterior featured a red marquee with "Theatre" written vertically and "Paris" appearing horizontally across the bottom. The Theatre closed in 1978. The town of Vanport was destroyed by a flood on May 30, 1948. The building was a live venue and nightclub until it closed in October 2019. The Bagdad Theatre at 37th & Hawthorne Streets. The theatre was constructed in 1890 and opened as a burlesque house. Cordray’s Opera House, which opened in 1889, was one of Portland’s first theaters. Then came vaudeville. Gellers’s Theatre at 3017 SE Milwaukie Street, which later became the Aladdin Theatre. [6], "Gresham Cinema & Wunderland Electric Castle, a new arcade and theater, expands family-oriented entertainment options in Gresham", "Avalon Nickel Arcade Keeps Old School Entertainment Alive in Portland", "Portland, Oregon's Art Deco movie houses", "John McKee, Gameroom And Theater Pioneer From Ore., Dies At 70", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Avalon_Theatre_(Portland,_Oregon)&oldid=918651374, Articles with dead external links from October 2016, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 September 2019, at 18:37. View of the Liberty Theatre at Broadway and Stark Street in 1946. The Alameda Theatre at 30th and Alberta streets became the 30th Avenue Theatre in 1937. For other uses, see, "Paris Theatre Pornhouse and Sex Club Will Become New Live Venue and Nightclub", "Raw deal: The city is paying millions to get out of the porn business", "Paris Theatre, Former Porn Palace Turned Downtown Nightclub, Has Shut Down", United Carriage and Baggage Transfer Building, Northwest 6th & Davis and Northwest 5th & Couch stations, Union Station/Northwest 6th & Hoyt and Union Station/Northwest 5th & Glisan stations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paris_Theatre_(Portland,_Oregon)&oldid=971875279, Articles to be expanded from February 2017, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 August 2020, at 19:56. "[5] In 2013, the same publication provided the following description of the theater and its clientele: Despite the many couples offerings, a recent visit finds a smattering of middle-aged men watching a massive projection of tattooed teenage girls being sloppily choked and slapped in the face. Nighttime view of the Orpheum Theatre in 1915. All of that changed in 1928, when Al Jolson’s “The Jazz Singer” with words and music made its debut. [2], The Paris was an adult movie theater until 2016, when new owners Chris Lenahan, Michael Sun, and Brad McCray converted the space into a live venue and nightclub. Films became a new phenomenon. The paper said of the venue, "Unfortunately, the Paris Theater ... hosts a bunch of winos, users and sleazy old guys the same age as your dad (or granddad), with their pants around their ankles and greasy cum rags in hand. A large Wurlitzer organ was installed here in 1926. It closed April 25, 1976 when it was razed for a new Nordstrom store. [2] As of June 2016, the gay theater and dungeons were removed to open up the space, and a new bar was under construction. Graeper’s Egyptian Theatre on Union Avenue near Russell Street, circa 1925, which opened in 1924. [4] The establishment is operated by McKee Enterprises, who own the Wunderland arcade company which operates at the theatre. Announcing the Oregon Historic Theater Grant Share Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), which includes the Oregon Main Street Network and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), was awarded $665,000 in federal grant funding to implement a grant program for the preservation of historic theaters. The projection room was being converted to a sound booth and seating was put into storage. In the days before movies, theatres were home to live performances, live music, live play acting and live opera. It was later converted to a cinema, then a club and music venue, before serving as an adult movie theater until 2016. Perhaps you will be something new. [1][2], Located at the intersection of Southeast Belmont Street and 35th Avenue in the city's Sunnyside neighborhood, the location of the Avalon Theatre had been formerly used as a mortuary and later a brothel before being converted into a theatre in 1912, operating as the Sunnyside Theatre. It later became the Fox Theatre which was razed in the 1980s. A deformed zombie may be slightly more grotesque, but at least he won't flash you. It closed in 1963. One of Portland’s most ornate theaters, Walter Tebbetts’ Oriental Theatre  at Grand and Morrison streets. Griffin’s Broadway Theatre can be seen on the right and across the street was the Paramount. Portland's first theater, the New Market Theater at SW First between Ash and Ankeny was built in 1872 by "Captain" Ankeny. [2] The building was completed in 1890 and opened as a burlesque house under the name Third Avenue Theatre. The organ was moved to the Oaks Park Roller Rink in 1955. The theatre was constructed in 1890 and opened as a burlesque house. The Broadway Theatre as it looked in 1937. The Hollywood Theatre at 41st & Sandy Boulevard, which was built by Walter Tebbetts, as it looked when it opened in 1926. From Shakespeare to Sedaris, PCT has been producing for 25 years. Patrons arrived by horse-drawn, The Broadway Theatre as it looked in 1937. It was later converted to a cinema, then a club and music venue, before serving as an adult movie theater until 2016. Two interior views of The Portland (Paramount). Patrons arrived by horse-drawn streetcars. An additional four-panel marquee was displayed above the front entrance. After about a year, the theater was sold and it was renamed the Paramount. The Baker Theatre opened in 1901. The theater’s life is captured in a vintage documentary available on YouTube. [5], In 2008, Portland Monthly named the Avalon the "Best Way to Stretch a Dollar" on their "Best of the City" list. Cordray’s Opera House, which opened in 1889, was one of Portland’s first theaters. Based at the historic Gerberding Theater at the Armory in Portland's Pearl District, the Portland Center Stage offers a mix of plays and musicals each season. [3] It featured a stage where guests could engage in sexual activities in front of a crowd, along with a "perky exam table" and a "voyeuristic bedroom". Avalon Theatre, established as the Sunnyside Theatre in 1912, is the oldest operating movie theater in Portland, Oregon, and is believed to be the state's oldest theater and the first with more than one screen.