Lynwood Theatre
A historic single-screen cinema on Bainbridge Island, Washington, known for independent and foreign-film programming.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Lynwood Theatre is a historic movie theater at the Lynwood Center on Bainbridge Island in Kitsap County, Washington. The cinema opened on July 3, 1936, established by Edna and Emmanuel Olson as the island's first theater built to present sound films. Its opening program included She Couldn't Take It and Times Square Playboy, marking a transition from the silent-film exhibition that had previously characterized local cinema-going. The theater was designed as a 200-seat, single-screen venue and became an important community entertainment business in the south end of Bainbridge Island. Ownership remained connected to the Olson family during the theater's early decades. In the 1950s, Edna and Emmanuel Olson sold the business to their nephew Glenn Nolta and his wife, Lucille. Sam Granato, a former mayor of Winslow, acquired the theater from the Noltas in 1980. By 2008, Granato and Jeff Brien were identified as co-owners, while the larger Lynwood Center property underwent renovation. The theater's continued presence within the renovated center linked the cinema to a broader local destination that included community, retail, dining, and entertainment activity. In 2000, Lynwood Theatre changed its programming orientation and became an art-house cinema focused on independent and foreign films. This specialization distinguished it from mainstream multiplexes and positioned the venue as a cultural screening space for films that may receive limited theatrical exposure in smaller markets. Its programming has also included festival presentations and occasional special events rather than being limited exclusively to regular film screenings. Lynwood Theatre has hosted the Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival and the Bainbridge Island Film Festival. It has also served as a venue for live comedy and other special programs. A performance involving comedians Chris Kattan and Derek Sheen was organized in support of the theater's continued operation, illustrating the venue's role as a community institution as well as a commercial cinema. The theater is regarded as one of Bainbridge Island's three longest continuously operating businesses. Its historical significance rests on its longevity, its early adoption of sound-film exhibition, and its later contribution to independent-film culture on the island.
History
Lynwood Theatre opened on July 3, 1936, at the Lynwood Center on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. Edna and Emmanuel Olson founded the 200-seat, single-screen venue to provide the island with a modern theater capable of presenting talking pictures. Its opening program included She Couldn't Take It and Times Square Playboy. The theater was notable because it became the first Bainbridge Island venue dedicated to sound films, at a time when older local cinemas were associated with silent-film exhibition. The theater developed into a long-running local business and is recognized as one of Bainbridge Island's three longest continuously operating businesses. During the 1950s, the original owners sold the cinema to their nephew Glenn Nolta and his wife, Lucille. The Nolta family retained ownership until 1980, when Sam Granato, a former mayor of Winslow, purchased the theater. Granato's ownership connected the venue to a prominent local civic figure while preserving its role as a neighborhood cinema. A major programming change took place in 2000, when Lynwood Theatre became an art-house cinema. Its focus shifted toward independent and foreign-language films, giving Bainbridge Island a dedicated venue for specialized and international cinema. The theater's single-screen scale and community setting supported a more curated exhibition model than that of a large multiplex. In addition to regular screenings, the cinema became associated with film festivals, including the Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival and the Bainbridge Island Film Festival. By 2008, Sam Granato and Jeff Brien were identified as co-owners. During that period, the Lynwood Center complex containing the cinema was renovated. The renovation helped maintain the theater as part of a larger mixed-use community destination rather than treating it as an isolated movie house. The venue has also hosted occasional live events, including comedy performances. A show involving Chris Kattan and Derek Sheen was staged to support the theater's continued operation, demonstrating the community's interest in preserving the venue. The history of Lynwood Theatre combines technological transition, family ownership, local civic involvement, specialized programming, and preservation of a small-town cinema. Its significance is not based on a national chain or large-scale commercial footprint, but on continuous local operation since 1936 and its place in Bainbridge Island's cultural life.
- 2008
Lynwood Center renovation
[1]The theater was co-owned by Sam Granato and Jeff Brien while the Lynwood Center property was renovated.
- 2000
Transition to an art-house cinema
[1]The theater adopted a programming model focused on independent and foreign films.
- 1980
Sam Granato acquires the theater
[1]Former Winslow mayor Sam Granato purchased Lynwood Theatre from Glenn and Lucille Nolta.
- 1950
Ownership passes to the Nolta family
[1]During the 1950s, the Olsons sold the theater to their nephew Glenn Nolta and his wife, Lucille.
- 1936
Opening of Lynwood Theatre
[1]Edna and Emmanuel Olson opened the 200-seat theater on July 3. It became Bainbridge Island's first theater to screen sound films.
Products and positioning
A historic community cinema positioned around independent and foreign films, cultural programming, and intimate single-screen exhibition rather than mainstream multiplex entertainment.
Cinema exhibition · 2000
Independent-film screenings
Lynwood Theatre's principal offering is theatrical exhibition of independent films. Since its 2000 shift to an art-house model, the cinema has used its single-screen format to present films outside the mainstream multiplex circuit, providing a curated cultural alternative for Bainbridge Island audiences.
Cinema exhibition · 2000
Foreign-film screenings
Foreign and international films form a central part of the theater's art-house identity. This programming broadens the venue's offering beyond English-language commercial releases and gives local audiences access to films that may have limited distribution in smaller American markets.
Festival exhibition
Film-festival presentations
The theater has served as a host venue for the Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival and the Bainbridge Island Film Festival. Festival use complements its regular art-house programming and reinforces its role as a local venue for curated and community-oriented cinema.
Live entertainment
Live special events
Beyond film exhibition, Lynwood Theatre sometimes presents special events such as comedy shows. These events diversify the venue's use and have also been connected with efforts to support the theater's continuing operation.
Marketing campaigns
- Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival
Bainbridge Island, United States
Lynwood Theatre has hosted screenings for the Celluloid Bainbridge Film Festival, contributing its single-screen auditorium to local film-festival programming.
Outcome. The theater became an established venue for community film-festival activity.
- Bainbridge Island Film Festival
Bainbridge Island, United States
The venue has also hosted the Bainbridge Island Film Festival as part of its broader cultural-programming role.
Outcome. The festival association strengthened Lynwood Theatre's position as a local arts and cinema venue.
- Community-support comedy performance
Bainbridge Island, United States
A comedy performance featuring Chris Kattan and Derek Sheen was held in support of Lynwood Theatre's continued operation.
Outcome. The event demonstrated community and performer support for preserving the theater.
Brand decisions
2008
Continue operation within a renovated Lynwood CenterOtherBackground
The cinema was operating under co-ownership by Sam Granato and Jeff Brien while the larger Lynwood Center property was renovated.
Action taken
Lynwood Theatre remained part of the renovated mixed-use center.
Aftermath
The theater continued operating as a component of the broader Lynwood Center community destination.
2000
Adopt an art-house programming strategyStrategyBackground
After decades as a general local movie theater, Lynwood Theatre changed its programming direction at the beginning of the 2000s.
Action taken
The cinema began concentrating on independent and foreign films.
Aftermath
The change established Lynwood Theatre as a specialized cultural cinema and supported its later role in local film festivals.
Recent events
- 2008
Lynwood Center renovation includes the theater[1]
Other
Lynwood Theatre was co-owned by Sam Granato and Jeff Brien while the surrounding Lynwood Center underwent renovation.
- 2000
Lynwood Theatre shifts to independent and foreign-film programming[1]
Other
The theater adopted an art-house identity centered on independent and foreign films, moving beyond its earlier general movie-theater role.
- 1936
Lynwood Theatre opens as Bainbridge Island's first sound-film theater[1]
Other
Edna and Emmanuel Olson opened the 200-seat single-screen Lynwood Theatre on July 3, introducing dedicated sound-film exhibition to Bainbridge Island.
Sources2 sources
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