Mount Vernon's Lincoln Theatre opens in April 1926

HistoryLink.org Essay 5168 : Printer-Friendly Format

In April 1926, the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon opens for business. Located at 712 S 1st Street, the venue costs roughly $100,000 to build, almost 25 percent of which represents the purchase of a Wurlitzer organ. Designed by architect William Aitken, the Lincoln exhibited a Spanish motif inside and out, with an interior swathed in blues, yellows, and reds.

Furnishings and equipment for the venue cost a reported $32,500, making the Lincoln not only one of the most impressive buildings in Mount Vernon, but a genuine source of local pride. “Nothing like it has ever been constructed before,” gushed one paper, “... the theatrical world is setting back astounded.”

In addition to screening motion pictures through the years, the Lincoln also distinguished itself as a vaudeville house, particularly in the 1930s when it was part of the West Coast vaudeville circuit. Proving the old business adage that success is a function of location, it was a considerable help that the city of Mount Vernon is nicely situated between the larger theatrical stopovers of Vancouver, B.C. and Seattle.

Although the Lincoln closed in the mid-1980s and faced an uncertain future, local groups rallied behind the venue and established the Lincoln Theatre Center Foundation. A tax-exempt organization, the Foundation engineered the restoration and reopening of the Lincoln in 1987, in large part due to the fundraising and volunteer efforts of the greater Mount Vernon community.

Today (2003) the Lincoln Theatre continues to serve the residents of Mount Vernon as a local performing arts center.

Sources:
“Lincoln Theatre -- Mount Vernon, Washington,” Puget Sound Pipeline Online, (http://www.pstos.org/instruments/wa/mtvernon/lincoln.htm); “Facts About the Lincoln,” Lincoln Theatre Website, (http://www.lincolntheatre.org/html/our_history.html).

By Eric L. Flom, February 04, 2003

Travel through time (chronological order):
< Browse to Previous Essay | Browse to Next Essay >

Related Topics: Film | Theater & Dance | Music & Musicians | Buildings |

Licensing: This essay is licensed under a Creative Commons license that encourages reproduction with attribution. Credit should be given to both HistoryLink.org and to the author, and sources must be included with any reproduction. Click the icon for more info. Please note that this Creative Commons license applies to text only, and not to images. For more information regarding individual photos or images, please contact the source noted in the image credit.

Lincoln Theatre (1926), Mount Vernon, ca. 1926
Courtesy Lincoln Theatre Foundation