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Paramount (Seattle) Theatre

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Home of some of the Seattle's largest and most diverse forms of entertainment, the Paramount Theatre stands as one of the few remaining examples of the theater-building boom in the 1920s. Although enduring a few ups and downs along the way, the Paramount -- which opened as the Seattle Theatre on March 1, 1928 -- remains a fixture of the downtown cultural scene at 9th Avenue and Pine Street.

The Show Divine at 9th and Pine

Designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Rapp and Rapp, the Seattle Theatre was based in part on the firm’s design of New York’s Paramount Theatre, which had opened only a short time before. Noted Seattle architect B. Marcus Priteca (1889-1971), who designed a number of Seattle’s most famous theaters (including the Coliseum and the Pantages) was also on board for the project, although he appears only to have worked on the apartment and commercial portions of the building. Designed with luxury in mind, the venue cost more than $3 million dollars to construct, and could seat a reported 4,000 people per show, giving strength to management’s boast that the Seattle was “[a]n acre of seats in a palace of splendor.”

Intimate, Yet Extravagant

Boasting a number of unique elements, the interior of the Seattle Theatre was done in a combination of traditional French and Italian designs. Morris Greenberg, however, charged with obtaining rugs and tapestries for the new house, went for an occasional burst of exoticism by incorporating a few accessories of Indian origin. Many of his pieces found their way into the grand foyer, which was softened by a variety of wall hangings and period furniture, including high-backed settees, chairs, and corner pieces. Similar furnishings were liberally sprinkled throughout the house.

Unique to the theater were the separate lobby areas as one ascended the staircase to the upper levels, as well as a grand lounge located below the main entrance. While a general feeling of openness was maintained throughout the house, these separate lobbies were dotted with smaller alcoves where couples or groups of theatergoers could retreat for privacy.

Seemingly no expense was spared in creating an ambiance for the new Seattle Theatre. Its impressive proscenium arch was 54 feet wide and 32 feet high. In addition, the ceiling of the auditorium was specially designed with hollow areas to incorporate a distinctive lighting scheme. Management claimed that portions of the ceiling were suspended from the actual roof, a design element popular at the time in Europe, but which had yet to catch on in America. This gave the house, they claimed, “an artful and charming effect of space and freedom” (“Ceilings in New Theatre Expert Work”).

Rose, gold, and ivory were the predominant colors throughout, with the walls coated with nearly three tons of white, lead-based paint, portions of which were highlighted with gold leaf. (A total of 200 packs of gold leaf -- at $14 a pop -- were applied by hand throughout the house.) The cost for this detail work, however, paled in comparison to the tab for drapes and chandeliers, said to have run in excess of $200,000. The two large chandeliers in the foyer (still there today) reportedly cost $5,000 apiece, and originally contained some 52,000 individual crystals.

A Look Behind the Scenes

At the time of its opening, the Seattle was fully equipped to present combination shows -- entertainment that drew both from the stage and the screen as part of a single weekly offering. For instance, the venue was constructed with a “flying” stage (one of only three in the United States at the time) that allowed the stage area to be altered based on the needs of the particular live production. Backstage there were 41 modern dressing rooms spread over several floors (each with its own shower), with elevator service to the stage. These rooms were in addition to common areas, such as a “green” room, and a separate card room for house employees.

The stage lighting of the new Seattle Theatre was said to be top-notch, and it was rivaled by the projection equipment for the house’s movie offerings, among the best in the city. The house projectionist also was able to make use of a special visual effects machine that could create the illusion of clouds, ocean waves, rain, snow, or rainbows (“Many Notables”). One thing that isn’t clear is whether this special effect system was used during the screening of the actual films, or whether it was an added feature that could be employed between acts.

A Melodic Movie House

Where the Seattle stood apart from its competition, however, was in the nature of its musical accompaniment -- over and above offering some of the finest acoustics of any local theater.

For instance, the Seattle boasted four Knabe grand pianos, reportedly the largest installation of pianos anywhere outside of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Three of these instruments were made of mahogany -- a concert grand piano in the orchestra pit and two smaller grand pianos onstage. The fourth was a Knabe Ampico (Louis XV version), specially finished in gold and ivory to match the Seattle’s interior décor. Situated in the lady’s lounge on the mezzanine floor, the special decorations were done in Seattle at the local Knabe studios. Today this “custom” Knabe remains a fixture in the Paramount, located in the lounge area just above the foyer.

The Knabes were indeed impressive, but perhaps not as much as the Seattle’s Wurlitzer 4/20 Publix #1 organ, reportedly the largest instrument of its kind when installed. Costing in the neighborhood of $46,500, this organ also was specially decorated in white and gold to match the theater’s interior, and could be raised to the stage or lowered to the orchestra pit via a special lift.

Interestingly, like the Louis XV Knabe piano, the Seattle’s Wurlitzer organ has also remained at the theater. Once a common feature in virtually every movie house, most venues got rid of their organs shortly after the arrival of sound film in the late 1920s, when the instruments became obsolete and costly to maintain. (Most were sold to churches or private collectors.) Not so in the case of the Paramount’s Wurlitzer. Whereas most of most of the original furnishings, sculptures, rugs, and tapestries are now long gone, the organ remains, albeit with parts scrounged from other instruments around the country.

Restored to its former glory in the late 1990s, the “mighty Wurlitzer” is regularly featured as part of the Paramount’s ongoing series, “Silent Movie Mondays,” held on eight or nine evenings per year. Played by renowned theater organist Dennis James, the instrument helps recapture the glory days of silent cinema by enhancing a variety of silent film classics, nearly all the type that would have been shown at the theater following its debut to the public. In the summer of 2002, for instance, a special comedy showcase featured James accompanying such films as D. W. Griffith’s Sally of the Sawdust (1925, and featuring W.C. Fields in one of his first screen roles), Harold Lloyd’s Girl Shy (1924), Charles Chaplin in The Gold Rush (1925), Buster Keaton in The Cameraman (1928), and the little-seen comedian Harry Langdon in The Strong Man (1926), directed by Frank Capra.

Tasteful Splendor

When it opened to the public on March 1, 1928, critics were eager to sing the praises of the new Seattle Theatre, in particular Rapp and Rapp’s design scheme. Reportedly the largest playhouse west of Chicago, a writer for The Seattle Times compared the new house to the fabulous pleasure dome of Kubla Khan, although he backtracked later in the same article when he called it “tastefully decorated” and not too ostentatious (“Thousands are Delighted”).

The Post-Intelligencer waxed no less poetic with its own coverage of the Seattle opening:

"No one has ever really described the touching beauties of a sunrise. No one can adequately state in words the gripping effect in the architectural artistry of Seattle’s newest theatre .... It is felt, not viewed ... Seattleites who haven’t had the thrill of walking breathlessly through the ornate halls of the palace at Versailles, halls made famous by the kings and beauties whose merest words made history, can get a fairly good idea of what that old stomping grounds of royalty is like from visiting the Northwest’s newest theatre – the incomparable Seattle” (“All Seattle Glories”).

Indeed, many of those in attendance on opening night were struck by the fact that the new Seattle Theatre was closer in looks to an opera house than a movie house.

As impressive as the surroundings was the staff at the new Seattle Theatre, courtesy and efficiency being the hallmarks. Patrons were amazed at the bevy of young ushers on hand for the performances -- they seemed to be everywhere on opening night, though their presence was largely unobtrusive. Their jobs were made a bit easier with electronic callboards in the foyer and ladies lounge area, which allowed ushers to direct patrons to open seats with a mere glance. “The system is exact, and it saves endless annoyances to patrons on busy days,” declared Alex E. Levin, manager of the Seattle Theatre and one who prided himself on the military precision of his operation (“New Theatre Directed Like Battleship”).

Levin’s sentiments were echoed by Sam Katz of Publix Theatres, which supplied the stage shows appearing at the Seattle on a weekly basis. “A properly conducted theatre is of the same importance to a community as a school or a church,” Katz told local reporters. “Such a theatre contributes to the general welfare of the community, because wholesome recreation is essential to its well-being .... The well-operated theatre combines order, system, regularity and cleanliness to the nth degree” (“Film House Tendency is Upwards”).

A Tradition Continues

Like virtually all downtown Seattle’s major theaters, there were a number of moments throughout its history when the days of the Seattle (renamed the Paramount in the late 1920s) seem to have been numbered. During the Depression years, for instance, the house closed for a brief period, but managed to reopen again by showing strictly motion pictures.

The venue scraped by in various economic climates until 1970s, when it -- like many other theaters built in the same era -- faced a possible date with the wrecking ball, due in large part to the changing economics of the theater business. Thankfully, it was spared. In 1981 the venue underwent refurbishment, after which it reopened as a formal theater once again. By balancing programs of touring shows, concerts, and film, the Paramount managed to stay afloat, although it was clearly in need of work that went far beyond the largely cosmetic changes completed during the 1981 restoration. “Understandably, the wear and tear of 67 years of popular entertainment and patronage was beginning to show on the theater,” wrote Sean McIntyre of the Paramount. “Every surface had accumulated a covering of dirt and grime. The brass needed polishing and the fancy ironwork needed cleaning. Ornamental plaster was crumbling and the gold leaf had flaked away in many places. All the original colors had blended into a pale yellow, rendering the complex designs of the interior virtually undistinguishable and flat. The seedy character of faded glory was beginning to take hold” (“History of the Paramount”).

In the early 1990s, former Microsoft executive Ida Cole purchased the Paramount Theatre, and she and the Seattle Landmark Association spearheaded a second, more thorough renovation. The work, costing roughly $37 million, even added space to the rear of the building that allowed for more room backstage, including a loading dock for sets and equipment. (Ironically, what was once considered large and innovative backstage system was viewed 60 years later as being too small and cramped.) In addition, the venue now boasts a hydraulic system (installed after the 1994 renovation) that allows seats to be “folded” under the floor for events that require festival seating or ballroom space.

With excellent care and management, the Paramount today continues to be a destination for Seattle theatergoers, and is poised to fulfill the prophecy of at least one who witnessed its opening in 1928. As Everhardt Armstrong, then theatre critic for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, gushed on the occasion: “Many modern theatres, planned with a view to presenting entertainment for the masses, possess a surface glitter -- the glamour of gilt and the shimmer of ostentatious hangings -- but they seem rococo, impermanent, ephemeral, built for a short life, to be replaced in future decades by structures still more ornate. The Seattle, one senses, has been built to endure” (“New Playhouse”). So it has.

Sources:
“Elaborate Stage Fare for Opening of New Theatre,” The Seattle Times, February 26, 1928, p. 22; Everhardt Armstrong, “New Playhouse is Real Triumph of Fine Architecture,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 26, 1928, pp. 1-D, 7-D; “Excelsior Watchword of Seattle,” Ibid., February 26, 1928, p. 7-D; “Film House Tendency is Upwards,” Ibid., February 26, 1928, p. 8-D; “New Page in History of Theatre is Written Here,” Ibid., February 26, 1928, p. 8-D; “Four Grand Pianos in New House,” Ibid., February 26, 1928, p. 7-D; “Ceilings in New Theatre Expert Work,” Ibid., February 26, 1928, p. 7-D; advertisement, Seattle Theatre, The Seattle Times, February 28, 1928, p. 8; “Knabe Studios Fill Large Piano Order,” Ibid., February 29, 1928, p. 14; “Experts Called in to Build Seattle,” Ibid., February 29, 1928, p. 14; “Rosenbaum Gets Credit for New Seattle Theatre,” Ibid., February 29, 1928, p. 15; “New Theatre Directed Like Battleship,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 29, 1928, p. 15; “Theatre Opening is Awaited by Seattle,” The Seattle Times, March 1, 1928, p. 13; “New Seattle Theatre Opens Doors Today,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 1, 1928, p. 3; “New Seattle Inaugurates Amusement Plan Today,” Seattle Star, March 1, 1928, p. 9; “All Seattle Glories in New Theatre,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 2, 1928, p. 1, 2; “Seattle Opening Has Four Honor Splitting Acts,” Seattle Star, March 2, 1928, p. 11; “Thousands are Delighted With New Seattle Theatre,” The Seattle Times, March 2, 1928, p. 1, 16; Everhardt Armstrong, “Publix Show Wins Favor With Crowds,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 2, 1928, p. 15; “Paramount Theatre,” Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society Website, (http://www.pstos.org/instruments/wa/seattle/paramount.htm); Lawrence Kreisman, Made to Last: Historic Preservation in Seattle and King County (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999), 156-166; Sean McIntyre, “History of the Paramount,” Paramount Theatre Website, (http://www.theparamount.com/about/paramount/history.html).
Note: This file was corrected on June 12, 2006.

By Eric L. Flom, October 24, 2002

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