| Bagdad Theatre |
Bagdad Theatre (1927).
Photograph: courtesy PDX History website.
|
| Address |
3702 SE Hawthorne Boulevard (modern address) |
| Opening Night Seating Capacity |
1400 |
| Original Theatre Owner |
Gustav Christman
Universal Pictures Corporation
|
| Original Theatre Architect |
John Bennes, Herman Herzog, Albert Mercier and Lee Arden Thomas of Thomas & Mercier
|
| Years of Operation |
1927-1991
1992 to present day |
| Type of Musical Accompaniment |
Orchestra and Kimball 3/12 theatre pipe organ (1927 to 1950s) |
| Current Status |
Operating |
|
The Bagdad Theatre, originally opened as a vaudeville and film theatre in east Portland in 1927.
Portland’s street numbering changed in 1933.
The theatre had its stage area enclosed and converted into a film theatre in 1974, which was named the Backstage Theater. In 1979, the complex enclosed the balcony and became a triplex. In 1989, the theatre was added to the National Register of Historical Places.
In 1991, the McMenamins Pub chain purchased the theatre and renovated the main auditorium, reopening the theatre in 1992.
References: Cinema Treasures website; Oregon Historical Society website; Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society website : with additional information provided by Brian Arnzen.
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