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Moore Theatre (Seattle)

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The Moore Theatre, currently Seattle’s oldest entertainment venue, stood as one of the finest houses on all the West Coast when it opened in December 1907. Located on 2nd Avenue and Virginia Street, the new venue (with its attached hotel) was spearheaded by local developer James A. Moore (1861-1929), and looked forward to the expected influx of visitors to the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, slated for the summer and fall of 1909. The Moore, which today hosts musical artists and touring stage productions from around the world, was originally designed as a stage venue for local manager (and future Broadway magnate) John Cort (1861-1929).

A Visionary Developer

James A. Moore was born in Nova Scotia, and arrived in Seattle around 1886. Shortly thereafter he teamed with William D. Wood (1858-1917), later mayor, to develop property in and around Seattle. Together, Moore and Wood made their mark by purchasing and developing almost 1,000 acres in the Green Lake area, as well as another 800 acres in what is now West Seattle.

Although the Wood/Moore partnership did not last, James Moore continued his efforts to “tame the wilds” of early Seattle, developing portions of northern Lake Union, as well as the Rainier Beach area. He was also busy leaving his mark on Seattle’s downtown -- the Estabrook, Whitcomb, Chilberg, and Curtiss blocks all bore his stamp. It was Moore who purchased and finally opened the decade-old (and until then, still unused) Denny Hotel in 1903, although it stayed open only briefly. (The Denny Hotel, at 3rd Avenue and Stewart Street, stood on Denny Hill and was demolished when the Denny regrade commenced.) Moore was also active in a group floating the controversial idea of a canal that would link Lake Washington to Lake Union, and perhaps even to Puget Sound (“New Playhouse One of Moore’s Great Triumphs”). The resulting Lake Washington Ship Canal opened in 1917.

A Long Time Coming

Although ground for the Moore Theatre was formally broken on August 6, 1907, James A. Moore had been planning the erection of a new entertainment venue for some time. Nearly 18 months prior to the groundbreaking, Moore commissioned architect E. W. Houghton (1856-1927) for the project.

Houghton had a substantial reputation in theater building. He was one of the Northwest’s premier architects, having designed over 375 buildings, many of which dotted Seattle’s downtown, including the Arcade Building on 2nd Avenue and the Post-Intelligencer Building. The Seattle-based B. Marcus Priteca, who would became perhaps America's foremost theater designer, began his career as a draftsman for E. W. Houghton. At the time, Houghton stood as the dean of theater architects, at least in the Pacific Northwest.

Before designing the Moore, Houghton had worked on venues in Bellingham, Spokane, Tacoma, Aberdeen, and Walla Walla, as well as on theaters in British Columbia and in Montana (“Architect Houghton Has Designed Many Theaters”). That Houghton gained a reputation in theater-building was somewhat ironic, considering that he arrived in Seattle just before the fire of 1889, a blaze that wiped out virtually all of the city’s theaters.

E. W. Houghton’s plans for the Moore Theatre were elaborate and revolutionary. He incorporated several innovative features into the interior design, none more impressive than the fact that there were no support posts for the large balcony. Support posts, which obscured the stage view from certain seats, were a typical feature of theaters of the period. Instead, the balcony immediately above the main floor was entirely supported by massive steel girders that spanned the width of the house, the largest of which weighed almost 22 tons. This technique, a relatively new and untested idea in the realm of theater construction, prompted much comment when the venue finally opened for business:

“One of the most impressive features of the theater is the absence of any supports whatsoever from the floors, to either the balcony or gallery, the former being supported on an immense steel girder, five feet four inches deep and seventy-five feet long, carried in the steel construction of the side walls, the latter hung from the roof” (“New Theater is Very Beautiful”).

The Lap of Luxury

The physical construction of the Moore was impressive, and its design elements emphasized the house’s unique and luxurious trappings. There were no stairwells from the lobby to the balcony level; gently sloping inclines from the 2nd Avenue foyer took their place. The Moore proudly boasted in the opening night program that these inclines were so wide and so gradual as “to permit an automobile to be driven into the balcony from the street” (“Program, Moore Theatre”). The only stairs at all in the house’s public areas descended to the men’s smoking room on one side, and to the women’s lounge area on the other, both of which were located directly underneath the foyer.

Reportedly the largest foyer of any theater in the country, the wainscoting on its walls was of Mexican onyx, and the entire room was illuminated by lighting fixtures of solid brass. The floor itself was of exquisite marble, set in a decorative mosaic pattern that today sounds at odds with the flooring in the actual balcony and auditorium areas, described as “battleship linoleum.” The onyx and marble were said to have cost $30,000 alone, while the interior stucco work cost another $20,000. Adding to the look and feel of the foyer area were rooftop representations of the Muses of Drama and Music, done in the Moore’s general color scheme of ivory, gold, olive, and “old” rose. Although the house was described in the opening night program as being Gothic in nature, more than a few journalists were struck by the Pompeian influence of the foyer.

The carpeted areas of the house were done primarily in a rose or crimson velour (reports vary on this detail), a color that was also picked up for the drop curtain, which was embroidered in gold. There were 26 large boxes high along the sides of main auditorium, plus three smaller ones near floor level -- the arrangement being unusual in that the lower boxes were simply sectioned off from the remainder of the floor seating. Seats in both auditorium and balcony levels were upholstered in leather.

With a total seating capacity of 2,436, management claimed that the Moore was the third largest theater in the United States at the time. As such, builders were careful to consider the safety needs of these large crowds. An asbestos curtain was installed directly behind the formal drop curtain, and exits were arranged in such a manner that management made the Titanic-like boast that “the house may be cleared of people within two minutes in case of fire” (“Last Touches on Moore Theater”). Fortunately, that claim was never put to the test.

Separate, But Not Equal

While E. W. Houghton’s design for the Moore stressed innovation, it also stressed tradition to a degree, at least with respect to the prevailing social climate in early Seattle. Above the formal balcony was constructed a smaller section, the gallery, which could be accessed only from the street via an outside stairway, rather than through the elaborate lobby and mezzanine. This was because the gallery -- its seats separated from the rest of the house and the farthest away from the stage -- was typically reserved for Seattle’s black audiences. The Moore’s original gallery has long since been removed.

A View from Backstage

A first-rate house from the audience’s perspective, the Moore was impressive from a staging perspective as well. In addition to providing the largest stage area of any theater in Seattle, the venue boasted a good deal of additional space in the wings and fly areas where props and backdrops could be stored. This offered increased maneuverability for stagehands and made for quicker scene changes. The house’s electrical system was state-of-the-art for the time, and was run from a single switchboard with “every wire protected against cross circuiting or other pranks which electricity sometimes plays” (“New Theater is Very Beautiful”).

Actors, too, were spoiled when it came to working conditions at the Moore. There were four large “star” dressing rooms on the main floor, with an additional 16 smaller ones both in back of and underneath the stage.

A Grand Spectacle

When a final accounting was made, the Moore cost in the neighborhood of $350,000 to construct, although estimates put the land plus the theater at approximately half a million in value. The house was leased and managed by John Cort, who moved his first-run attractions out of the Grand Opera House on Cherry Street and directly into the Moore. Cort’s son Harry served as the house’s assistant manager.

The debut of the Moore was a big event for the city. “Henceforth Seattle is to be a metropolis in things theatrical, with a metropolitan theater and metropolitan attractions,” announced one newspaper. “[I]t marks the passing of the old provincial order of things and the ushering in of a regime which will make this city the Western home of drama” (“Moore Theater to Open Tomorrow Night”).

Thus, on December 28, 1907, crowds swarmed the corner of 2nd and Virginia to see The Alaskan, a Yukon-themed operetta opening a week’s run at the Moore. With a tremendous amount of “standing-room-onlies” on hand, the theater’s capacity jumped from 2,400 to somewhere near 3,000 for opening night.

The dedication in the Moore’s opening program was grandiose in its effort to place the new theater in Seattle’s history. “The close of the year 1907 witnesses the most artistic expression of the ‘Seattle Spirit’ ever given since the phrase was coined ... Today Seattle is possessed of the finest and most modern theater in the great domain west of the Mississippi river.”

Calling the house the “epitome of architectural elegance,” the program noted that “Seattle is one of the emphatic theater-going communities of the United States and it is fitting that the best the country affords in the way of entertainment should find a housing in every way adequate and up-to-date” (Program, Moore Theatre). The Daily Times waxed no less pretentious, going as far as to class the venue among the great theaters of Paris, Vienna, and Milan (“Moore Theater is Opened to Public”).

Seattle’s Oldest

After the touring plays for which it was originally constructed began to dwindle during World War I, the Moore became the home of Orpheum vaudeville until the mid-1920s, after which it returned to its former role as a playhouse for road shows and stock theater troupes.

Ironically, considering that many of Seattle’s stage venues were hard hit by the Depression, the 1930s were good years for the Moore, which benefited from excellent programming. However, changes in the entertainment industry (not to mention changes in the public’s theatrical tastes) found the house frequently varying formats during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, during which time upkeep of the house became problematic. By the early 1970s, the Moore Theater was struggling to survive, despite being placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1974.

Thankfully, the venue was rescued and revived shortly thereafter by Dan Ireland and Darryl Macdonald, who turned the Moore (by then known as the Moore-Egyptian) into a movie house showing classic and foreign films. The Moore also became the original home for the Seattle International Film Festival, another Ireland/Macdonald collaboration that began in 1976.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the Moore Theater settled into its current programming scheme, showcasing various touring musicians and theatrical productions. Remodeling throughout the years has changed many features of the original theater, which now seats approximately 1,400.

Sources:
“Last Touches on Moore Theater,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 18, 1907, p. 3; “The Alaskan,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 22, 1907, Magazine Section II, p. 7; “Moore Theater to Open Tomorrow Night,” Seattle Star, December 27, 1907, p. 6; “Opening of the Moore Theater,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 28, 1907, p. 7; “Moore Theater Opens Tonight,” Seattle Star, December 28, 1907, p. 3; Program, Moore Theatre, December 28, 1907, J. Willis Sayre Collection, University of Washington Special Collections, Archives and University Manuscripts; “Theater Opening Brilliant Affair,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 29, 1907, Second Section, p. 4; “Architect Houghton Has Designed Many Theaters,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 29, 1907, Second Section, p. 4; “New Playhouse One of Moore’s Great Triumphs,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 29, 1907, Second Section, p. 4; “New Theater is Very Beautiful,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 29, 1907, Second Section, p. 5; “Moore Theater is Opened to Public,” Seattle Daily Times, December 29, 1907, p. 1, 3; M. McV. S., “Alaskan Warmly Welcomed,” Seattle Daily Times, December 29, 1907, p. 3; “Moore Theater Opens With The Alaskan,” Seattle Star, December 30, 1907, p. 8; Sean McIntyre, “History of The Moore,” http://www.theparamount.com/about/moore/history.html; Jeffrey Karl Ochsner and Dennis A. Andersen, “Edwin W. Houghton,” in Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects ed. by Jeffrey Karl Ochsner (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994), 46-51; Lawrence Kriesman, Made to Last: Historic Preservation in Seattle and King County (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999), 36.

By Eric L. Flom, June 20, 2002

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