Chehalis Theater

Historic theater in Chehalis, Washington

Chehalis Theater

Chehalis Theater, November 2021

Former names| Beau Arts Building, Pix Theater
Address| 558 N Market Blvd[a]
Chehalis, Washington
United States of America
Coordinates| 46°39′57″N 122°58′14″W﻿ / ﻿46.66583°N 122.97056°W﻿ / 46.66583; -122.97056
Parking| Street
Owner| McFiler's Supernaut LLC
Capacity| 450
Screens| 1
Current use| Film, live entertainment, and cuisine
Construction
Built| 1923
Opened| December 7, 1938
Renovated| 1938, 1954, 1996, 2016, 2018, 2021
Website
mcfilerschehalistheater.com

The Chehalis Theater, also as the Chehalis Theatre, is a single-screen, Art Deco movie theater in Chehalis, Washington. The theater is situated at the north end of the Chehalis Downtown Historic District near the Hotel Washington. Known locally for the hand-painted illustrations of popular children's fantasy characters that once populated the ceiling,[2] it is the only surviving movie house in the city.

Since the theater's last renovation that began in 2021, it has been renamed McFiler's Chehalis Theater.

## Theater history in Chehalis

[edit]

Main article: History of theaters in Chehalis, Washington

The Pix Theater was the last single-screen movie house built in the city, coming at the end of a 50-year run of opera houses, auditoriums for vaudeville, and other movie theaters. Chehalis's first theater was the short-lived, mixed-use Dobson & Donahoe Opera House built in 1886,[3][4] followed by a formal entertainment house known as the Tynan Opera House, built by the matriarch of the city, Eliza Tynan Saunders Barrett, in 1889.[5][6]

Opera-style theaters such as the Brunswig Grand Opera House and the Geissler New Grand Opera House followed. The first theater built for use to show films was the Orpheum, opening in 1907.[7] Additional movie houses were constructed quickly in the decade to follow, including the Dream, Bell, and Liberty theaters. The last movie theater built before the Pix was the St. Helens Theater in 1924.[8]

The first moving picture recorded as being shown in Chehalis was at the New Grand in November 1904. The Edison Studios silent film was titled, "In the Hills of Old Carolina". A newspaper account remarked that the movie would be popular once "the public gets a little better acquainted with what is going on".[9] The George Jessel comedy-drama, Lucky Boy, was shown at the St. Helens Theater in 1929, becoming the first talkie exhibited in the city.[10][11] A spread advertisement was published in the Chehalis Bee-Nugget newspaper, with local businesses congratulating the theater on its installation of a vitaphone system.[12]

## History of the Chehalis Theater

[edit]

Chehalis Garage, far right, ca. 1910-1912

A wood structure that housed a horse livery and stable occupied the site as far back as 1907.[13] The terra-cotta building was constructed in 1923 and was originally named the Beau Arts Building, and it is also known as the Gabel Building.[14][15] First home to a Ford car dealership, the location became known as St. John's Garage[14] and the Chehalis Garage.[16] The Gabel Building was purchased in 1937 by Harold St. John, an owner of automobile dealerships, garages, and other theaters in the Twin City area.[17][18]

After the structure was renovated to become a movie house, it opened on December 7, 1938, as the Pix Theater, seating 653;[14][15] the first film shown was Bob Hope's Thanks for the Memory.[19][20][b] A large newspaper spread in The Centralia Daily Chronicle was printed welcoming the theater. The Twin City Theatre Company, under the direction of Arthur St, John, were the owners of the new movie house and promised to provide first and second-run movies at "popular prices".[20]

The Pix originally had a triangular marquee with fluorescent lighting.[20] The theater's initial decor included a lobby with red and blue carpeting, and the theater viewing area, equipped with a balcony,[20] had red silk lined, blue-and-gold fleur-de-lis accented walls, red velour seats, and women had access to a cosmetic room.[13][20] The building had air conditioning, was fireproofed, and great measures were taken to provide clear sound and viewing angles.[20] A pipe organ was initially installed but was relocated and rebuilt after an unknown time to a church in Fremont, Seattle.[22] Typically shown at the theater during its early beginnings were a sequence of newsreels, cartoons, and westerns.[23]

### Conversion to the Chehalis Theater

[edit]

The Pix was sold by St. John to Ted Gabel in approximately 1948, only for St. John to reacquire the movie house five years later.[17] The building sustained damage during the 1949 Olympia earthquake but continued to operate.[16] Closed for a major renovation beginning in 1953,[13] the film venue was renamed Chehalis Theater[c] in 1954 during the closure.[13][14][d] The movie house during the renovation was under ownership of Ron Gamble as part of a theater chain company in the Twin Cities. Gamble stated that delays in reopening the theater were due to a historical record of film venues in the city continually losing money.[25]

Reopened on September 1, 1954, the remodel included a new, no-seam screen that could show a variety of film productions, including CinemaScope and 3-D, as well as new projection equipment. The large screen required the removal of the original stage. Additional efforts included a new balcony, ceiling, heating and cooling systems, lobby and lounge area, roof, and sidewalks.[1][24] A marquee from the St. Helen's Theater in Chehalis was added to the building facade during the project.[1][26] The interior was redecorated, including new curtains and light fixtures, which were specifically designed for the theater. The overhaul was noted to be so extensive that the Daily Chronicle newspaper reported, "there isn't much left of the old show house except for the flooring".[24]

The Roewe family purchased the Chehalis Theater from the estate of St. John in the early 1970s, owning and operating the movie house through the decade.[17] The venue, in the 1980s, was run by a theater chain for a time, projecting films until 1988.[13][14]

Interior, Chehalis Theater, 2019

Due to economic hardships and maintenance backlogs, the theater shut down and became a video rental store named Video Time.[14] During this period, several murals of children's cartoon characters were painted on the ceiling.[27] After the theater was sold in 1994 to Daryl Lund, also the owner of the Yard Birds Cinema 3 at the time,[28] it hosted a flea market and Lund referred to both the Cinema 3 complex and the Chehalis Theater as the Chehalis Cinemas.[13][14] Lund leased the theater to Jerry Rese who, along with Lund, began a large restoration in 1996, finding and reusing decor and machinery stored at the theater. The movie house at the time listed the screen to be 16 ft × 32 ft (4.9 m × 9.8 m) and the venue had a footprint of 5,000 square feet (460 m2).[27] Art Deco chandeliers, original to the theater, were found in the attic and restored.[21] The interior had a green decor and Rese removed the original patterned theater carpeting. As the venue lacked seating,[17] he installed 298 seats that were original to another closed theater and had the concession stand in the lobby rebuilt. There were plans to reopen the playhouse as a second-run theater.[27] The neon marquee was restored in 2000.[13]

The independent movie, The Immigrant Garden, premiered at the theater in 2001.[29] There were brief periods of screening films into 2008, including some new releases, when the location ceased operations until 2016 due to competition with the larger, upgraded Midway Cinemas at the Lewis County Mall.[14][23][30][31] There were two brief attempts to reopen the Chehalis Theater in 2009 and into the next year, but the potential revivals never came to fruition.[32]

In 2003, the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission awarded the Chehalis Theater with a listing and plaque recognizing the historical importance, and restoration efforts, of the movie house.[13]

### 2016 and 2018 renovations

[edit]

Chehalis Theater, Chehalis, Washington LCCN2017708133

The first renovation began in 2016 after a new owner, Ralph Hubbert, leased the building to a local proprietor. The theater contained original and antique film machinery, including a toilet in the projection room, and the balcony was intact.[16] The restorations focused on reviving and saving much of the Art Deco style,[15] while adding an upstairs bar, dining area, and kitchen. The theater began film showings in October, the first since late 2008, and charged $5 for admission. The first films shown were Hotel Transylvania and The Addams Family.[33] The new proprietor added musical acts as well as live screenings of Seattle Seahawks games.[23] The cartoon murals on the ceiling, added at an unknown time but not original to the theater, were preserved owing to the community support for the work. The occupancy was listed as 285.[16]

In late 2018, a new lease agreement with a local Chehalis family led to additional renovations. The owners continued to screen movies and provide live musical entertainment while concentrating on pizza as the main cuisine option.[34]

### 2021 renovations and reopening

[edit]

Interior, Chehalis Theater, 2023

In 2020, a local restaurateur bought the theater and started the third restoration in five years in 2021. Renaming the location as McFiler's Chehalis Theater, early plans included a reopening later that year or early 2022, with the expectation to continue to screen movies while providing restaurant dining and live entertainment. Adhering to ADA requirements and new building codes, extensive remodeling was done to large portions of the theater, including a modified marquee. The ceiling illustrations were to be painted over but photographed and displayed along with antique equipment from the building.[2]

The theater had a soft opening in late 2022,[2] and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in March 2023.[35] The theater, since its reopening, has hosted events tied to the 75th anniversary of the Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting[36] and a symposium on Bigfoot that included speaker Cliff Barackman.[37] The theater hosted the first Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest in 2023, coinciding with the city's Flying Saucer Party.[38]

As of 2023[update], the Chehalis Theater listed an occupancy of 450[39] and was opened to fine dining, comedy shows, musical performances, charity events, live televised sports, and film presentations.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The original address was 798 Market Street before a city-wide renumbering of addresses.[1]
2. ^ Additional reports state that the first movie was the musical comedy, The Big Broadcast of 1938, which also starred Bob Hope.[21]
3. ^ A nickname was also given during the 1954 change, shortening the name to "The Chehalis".[24]
4. ^ There are conflicting reports in years after the name change incorrectly mentioning the change occurring in 1958. See sources within the article, post-1954, for the discrepancy.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Movie House Due Chehalis". The Daily Chronicle. August 6, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
2. ^ a b c Fitzgerald, Emily (June 16, 2021). "Renovations Ramp Up at McFiler's Chehalis Theater". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
3. ^ "Many Lewis County People Of Advanced Age". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. July 15, 1932. p. 11. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
4. ^ "Early Days In Chehalis - 42 Years Ago". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. June 22, 1928. p. 9. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
5. ^ Jones, Pat (March 6, 2003). "Exhibit showcases women's roles in history". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
6. ^ "42 Years Ago". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. The Chehalis Bee. November 6, 1931. p. 8. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
7. ^ "The Orpheum Theater Closes". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. March 7, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
8. ^ Flom, Eric L. (January 26, 2003). "St. Helens Theatre in Chehalis opens on May 12, 1924". HistoryLink. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
9. ^ "The 10-Cent Edison Show". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. November 18, 1904. p. 8. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
10. ^ ""Talking Movie" Is Here Sunday". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. March 15, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
11. ^ "Movie Critic Praises George Jessel's Art". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. March 15, 1929. p. 5. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
12. ^ "Advertisement". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. March 15, 1929. pp. 20–21. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
13. ^ a b c d e f g h Emerson, Amy (May 10, 2003). "Hometown Proud - Chehalis honors property owners". The Chronicle. pp. 21–22. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
14. ^ a b c d e f g h Nailon, Jordan (October 6, 2016). "Chehalis Theater Draws a Crowd Once More". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
15. ^ a b c "Historic Theatres - Statewide Survey and Physical Needs Assessment" (PDF). dahp.wa.gov. WA State Dept of Archaeology & Historic Preservation.
16. ^ a b c d Nailon, Jordan (May 26, 2016). "The Show Will Go On at the Chehalis Theater After Sale". The Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
17. ^ a b c d Blomdahl, George H. (September 12, 1994). "Chehalis resident hopes to revive downtown theater". The Centralia Chronicle. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
18. ^ "Gets Lease On Grand Theater". The Centralia Daily Chronicle. July 13, 1938. p. 8. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
19. ^ Layton, Ken. "Chehalis Theater". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
20. ^ a b c d e f "New Chehalis Theater To Open Tomorrow Night". The Centralia Daily Chronicle. December 6, 1938. p. 2. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
21. ^ a b Sexton, Owen (December 7, 2024). "'Chehalis lost a giant today': Longtime City Councilor Daryl Lund dies at 63". The Chronicle. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
22. ^ "Chehalis Theatre 2/8 Wicks Robert Morton". Puget Sound Pipeline. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
23. ^ a b c Carlson, Greg (December 21, 2016). "The Chehalis Theatre: A Historical Building Lives On". Lewis Talk. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
24. ^ a b c "New Chehalis Theatre Will Be Beautiful". The Daily Chronicle. August 14, 1954. p. 11. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
25. ^ "Newly-Organized Chehalis Chamber Group Meeting". The Daily Chronicle. July 9, 1954. p. 3. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
26. ^ Felthous, Dave. "Chehalis Theatre". cinematour.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
27. ^ a b c Pfeifer, Larissa (June 20, 1996). "Theater Rebirth". The Chronicle. pp. 49–50. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
28. ^ Emerson, Amy (April 15, 2003). "$1.5 million expansion planned at theater". The Chronicle. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
29. ^ Paulu, Tom (May 21, 2001). "A Touch of Hollywood in Chehalis". The Daily News (Longview, Washington). Retrieved June 5, 2023.
30. ^ Brewer, Christopher (January 15, 2015). "For Sale: One Theater, Asking Price $299,000". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
31. ^ Allen, Marqise (January 6, 2009). "Chehalis Cinema Closes". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
32. ^ Allen, Marqise (December 26, 2009). "Bright Lights Set to Return to Market Street". The Chronicle. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
33. ^ The Chronicle staff (November 1, 2016). "Chehalis Theatre Screens First Movies in Eight Years". The Chronicle. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
34. ^ Hayes, Katie (December 20, 2018). "New Managers Take Over Chehalis Theatre, Plan to Host Live Entertainment, Serve Pizza". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
35. ^ Wenzelburger, Jared (March 6, 2023). "A Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Held for McFiler's Chehalis Theater". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
36. ^ Sexton, Owen (September 19, 2022). "Chehalis Celebrates 75th Anniversary of 1947 Historic UFO Sighting With Flying Saucer Party". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
37. ^ Sexton, Owen (April 17, 2023). "Hundreds Attend 'Bigfoot: Real or Hoax?' Event in Chehalis". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
38. ^ Sexton, Owen (September 28, 2023). "Inaugural Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest in Chehalis showcases 19 short films". The Chronicle. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
39. ^ Fitzgerald, Emily (February 8, 2023). "HUB Comedy and McFiler's Chehalis Theater Partner to Bring Big Name Acts". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Chehalis Theater at Wikimedia Commons

* Chehalis Flying Saucer Party - Northwest Flying Saucer Film Fest
* Chehalis Theater, 1954 remodel, via the Lewis County Historical Museum - Balcony, photo
* Chehalis Theater, 1954 remodel, via the Lewis County Historical Museum - Exterior, photo
* Chehalis Theater, 1954 remodel, via the Lewis County Historical Museum - Lobby, photo
* Chehalis Theater, 1954 remodel, via the Lewis County Historical Museum - Screen, photo
* Chehalis Theater, 1997, via the Lewis County Historical Museum - Ceiling murals, photo

* v
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Chehalis, Washington

Economy and government|

* Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority
* Port of Chehalis

Education|

* Chehalis School District
* Green Hill School
* W.F. West High School

Geography|

* Chehalis River
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* Willapa Hills

History|

* Flood history in Chehalis, Washington
* History of theaters in Chehalis, Washington

Infrastructure|

* Chehalis Western Railroad
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* Twin City Railroad

Landmarks|

* Chehalis Downtown Historic District
* Chehalis Post Office
* Chehalis Theater
* Claquato Church
* Hillside Historic District
* Lewis County Courthouse
* Lewis County Historical Society and Museum
* O. B. McFadden House
* O. K. Palmer House
* Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District
* St. Helens Hotel
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* Troop 373 and Troop 7373 Scout Lodge

Media|

* Chehalis Bee-Nugget newspaper
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Museums and tourism|

* Chehalis–Centralia Railroad
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Parks and recreation|

* Chet and Henrietta Rhodes Spray Park
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* Henderson Park
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People|

* Don G. Abel
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Sports|

* Chehalis Gophers
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