Liberty Theatre in Olympia opens on December 31, 1924.

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On New Year’s Eve, 1924, the Liberty Theatre in Olympia makes its formal debut to the public. Built by the Seattle theatrical concern of Jensen & Von Herberg, the Liberty featured Oliver Wallace as the special opening-night organist. Wallace would later take his musical skills to Hollywood, where he would score several of Walt Disney’s animated features, including Cinderella (1950) and Alice in Wonderland (1951). Together with collaborator Frank Churchill, Wallace would win an Oscar for his work on 1941’s Dumbo.

The Liberty (renamed the Olympic Theatre in 1949) continued to entertain local audiences until the early 1980s, when it was demolished to make way for the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia.

Sources:
“Olympic (Liberty) Theatre – Olympia, Washington,” Puget Sound Pipeline Online, (http://www.pstos.org/instruments/wa/olympia/olympic.htm).

By Eric L. Flom, February 04, 2003

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