Elsinore Theatre - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 56.333 W 123° 02.241
10T E 497053 N 4976162
Historic Elsinore Theatre, built in 1925-1926
Waymark Code: WMFHHQ
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/21/2012
Views: 1
The Historic Elsinore Theater in downtown Salem, Oregon is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1925-1926, for many years the primary function of this theatre was to show motion pictures. However, the theatre now primarily a forum for live events, including plays, one-man shows and music performances. The theatre does show classic and silent movies.
The theatre was scheduled for demolition in 1980, but a grassroots effort to save it resulted in gaining the support of the public and political figures and ultimately the theatre was saved. Beginning in 2002, a $3.2 million restoration effort ensued, preserving the theatre for many decades to come. The theatre is a non-profit organization.
Per the OregonLink "biography page": "The Historic Elsinore Theater's west-facing facade is characterized by a central four-story tower with battlements & flanking towers. The facade was beautifully refurbished and the marquee completely rebuilt & installed in the fall of 2002.
The foyer or lobby of the theatre holds true to the medieval atmosphere with its grand proportions. It is the centerpiece of Historic Elsinore Theatre. The arches rise two and a half stories to a vaulted ceiling painted and lighted to suggest a nighttime sky.
Two grand double staircases are located at either end of the lobby and lead to the first and second balcony sections of the auditorium. Faux stonework by master plasterer D. L. Hogan is featured along with superb custom woodwork & artistic metal work found in the staircases & wall sconces.
From the lobby are views of stained glass windows executed by the Povey Brothers Studio of Portland. Each grand staircase frames a large mural by Nowland Zane, a member of Ellis Lawrence's fine arts faculty at the University of Oregon. The murals are based on the Shakespearean plays Macbeth, and Romeo & Juliet.
The auditorium features colorful heraldic panels on its immense ceiling. Still, the central feature of the auditorium is the magnificent proscenium (arch) above the stage. A three-room chamber above & behind the proscenium houses most of the many hundreds of pipes for the famed "Mighty Wurlitzer" organ. A number of very large organ pipes are located backstage."