The growth of Seattle – both in population and vertical landscape – has been mind-blowing. The number of people living here has grown by about a quarter since 2010, while the number of housing units expanded 28% between 1996 and 2015.
With growth comes change and with change comes the slow transformation (or abandonment) of landmark buildings that have given thousands of us joy through the years. That includes the loss of iconic movie theaters – The Harvard Exit, Guild 45th, Seven Cables, The Coliseum (now a Banana Republic in downtown) – with a few others reincarnated as live entertainment venues (The Neptune and Columbia City Theater).
Classic, big-screen cinemas are slowly slipping away…just like the drive-in theater a generation ago (five remain in business across Washington). What’s left of the mostly grandiose structures are independent-owned theaters run on tight budgets, often thinly staffed and sprinkled in neighborhoods from Shoreline to the Central District. Here are five personally selected old-time movie centers, based on lowest price of entry (alphabetically):
Central Cinema – 1411 21st Avenue, Central District. A family friendly theater showing classics, cult and art-house films. It markets itself as the city’s only dine-in cinema, with a menu that includes traditional movie theater items as well as steak frites, ribs, burgers, pizza, sandwiches, salads, desserts, along with alcohol. The venue sometimes features sing-along films (Grease, Mamma Mia, The Sound of Music), big-screen video games and stand-up comedy. Movie tickets $1.99-$10.80.
Crest Cinema Center – 16505 5th Avenue Northeast, Shoreline. This is the type of theater I remember when growing up – before multiplexes took hold. It’s a movie house delightfully stuck in the 1970s – including the prices. Mostly showing recent first-run films on two large screens and second-run favorites on two tiny ones. Low-definition sound. Tickets $4
Grand Illusion Cinema – 1403 Northeast 50th Street, University District. Pegged as Seattle’s oldest continuously running movie theater (opened in 1968 in a converted dentist’s office), Grand Illusion is a quaint and, yes, old one-screen, tin-ceilinged screening room tucked above retail businesses on NE 50th Street and University Way NE (The Ave). It’s a non-profit that’s maintained by all volunteers, surviving off memberships and die-hard movie-goers who love quirky first-run, indie, foreign and classic films. Tickets $5-$10 (cash and personal checks only).
Northwest Film Forum (NWFF) – 1515 12th Avenue, Capitol Hill. This is a film aficionado’s dream. NWFF shows everything the others won’t – documentaries, foreign film and local productions. Started in 1995 (yes, it’s celebrating a big anniversary) as a post-production house for local filmmakers, NWFF has evolved into a non-profit film haven that embraces the art of cinema, with two screens, as well as film-production facilities and equipment. There are workshops, classes and a film vault containing more than a thousand titles. It is also the host venue each year to Seattle’s Asian American Film Festival. Tickets $7-$13. Annual memberships start at $35.
Varsity Theatre – 4329 University Way Northeast, University District. An historic three-screen theater on The Ave. First opened in 1940, the Varsity changed ownership in 2015 and the theater has since been renovated to all-digital projection and 3-D capability offering a blend of first-run and independent films with the occasional special cultural events. Perfect for a night out for university students and UDistrict locals. Typical prices $8-$11 (and no upcharge for 3-D showings)
There are many other film houses in historic buildings – The Admiral (West Seattle), the ornate SIFF Egyptian (Capitol Hill), SIFF Uptown (Lower Queen Anne) and of course the revived Cinerama (Belltown) – but ticket prices are generally higher than the five listed above.
Most of these featured theaters are scraping by each year – in hopes of sharing a magical, memorable movie experience with fans of film and all things nostalgia. When you think about it, the survival of these establishments depends on all of us.
We don’t want to see these charming establishments die a slow death like the drive-in. Please support local cinema!