Washoe Theater

Washoe Theater is a historic movie theater in Anaconda, Montana, United States. The venue occupies 305 Main Street within the Anaconda Commercial Historic District and remains notable both as an operating cinema and as an exceptionally elaborate example of late Art Deco theater design. It is associated with the Nuevo Deco style, a regional and highly ornamental interpretation of Art Deco, and is described as the last theater constructed in the United States in that style. The theater was designed in 1930 by Seattle architect B. Marcus Priteca. Construction was substantially complete by 1931, but the Great Depression delayed the building's opening for several years. Washoe Theater eventually opened on September 24, 1936. Its first film was The Texas Rangers, a Western starring Fred MacMurray. The building's reported construction cost was $200,000 in 1936 dollars, but no financial figure is included here as a current-value estimate because the supplied material does not provide a directly cited financial source for that conversion. The site had hosted earlier theaters. The Margaret Theater occupied the location from around the time Anaconda was founded. It was remodeled in 1927 for approximately $60,000 and renamed the Sundial Theater, but the building was destroyed by fire in 1929. Washoe Theater replaced that earlier venue and was conceived as a substantially more ambitious movie palace. Interior design and furnishings were produced by Hollywood theater designer Nat Smythe. The building features etched-glass exterior doors, extensive carved relief work, ornamental iron, and lavish applications of copper, silver leaf, and gold leaf. Copper was particularly appropriate to Anaconda, a company town historically associated with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. Carved ram heads decorate the walls, while murals cover the flat surfaces, including the domed ceiling; the murals are attributed to Colville Smythe. A silk curtain depicting deer stags is another significant interior element, although its age has made removal and conservation difficult. The theater was also designed with exceptional acoustics. Because recorded sound in motion pictures was still developing, the delay before opening allowed the venue's sound system to be redesigned around Western Electric's Mirrophonic Sound technology. This made the theater an early showcase for high-fidelity cinema sound. The Smithsonian has characterized the building as a national treasure because of its interior design and craftsmanship. Washoe Theater was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1982, for its architectural significance. It continues to operate as a movie theater, combining an active entertainment function with historic preservation and heritage tourism. The brand is therefore best understood as a single-site cultural venue rather than a chain, consumer product line, or nationally distributed commercial brand.

The Washoe Theater stands on a site with a longer theatrical history in Anaconda. An earlier venue called the Margaret Theater had occupied the location since approximately the period when the town was founded. In 1927, that theater was remodeled at a reported cost of $60,000 and renamed the Sundial Theater. The remodeled building was destroyed by fire in 1929, creating the opportunity for a replacement designed for the era of large, highly ornamented movie palaces. Seattle architect B. Marcus Priteca designed the new theater in 1930. The project was almost entirely finished by 1931, but the Great Depression postponed its opening. Rather than opening immediately, the project remained delayed until the economic conditions and operating plans permitted completion. The theater finally opened on Thursday, September 24, 1936. Its first presentation was The Texas Rangers, a Western featuring Fred MacMurray as a Texas Ranger. The completed building was conceived in the Nuevo Deco style, an especially decorative form of Art Deco. It became notable as the last theater constructed in the United States in that style. Hollywood theater designer Nat Smythe handled the interior design and furnishings, producing an environment that treated the cinema as a total architectural and decorative experience rather than simply a room for film projection. Etched-glass entrance doors, carved reliefs, ornamental ironwork, and extensive metal decoration contribute to the exterior and interior identity of the venue. Copper is used prominently throughout the building, reflecting Anaconda's historical connection with the Anaconda Copper Mining Company and the town's industrial identity. Silver and gold leaf supplement the copper and other decorative elements. Ram heads appear as recurring carved motifs, while painted murals cover virtually every flat surface, including the domed ceiling. The murals are associated with Colville Smythe. A silk curtain decorated with an image of deer stags forms another important part of the theater's artistic interior, although its fragile condition has complicated conservation efforts. Sound technology was a major part of the theater's original design. The auditorium was planned for very strong acoustics at a time when synchronized recorded sound was still a relatively new feature of motion pictures. The delay in opening allowed the sound system to be redesigned to showcase Western Electric's Mirrophonic Sound, an advanced high-fidelity system of the period. This gave the theater technological as well as architectural distinction. The building's preservation importance was formally recognized when it was placed on the United States National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1982. Its significance is principally architectural, but its continued use as a movie theater also preserves an element of its original public function. The theater remains in operation in Anaconda, serving as both a cinema and a landmark within the Anaconda Commercial Historic District. Its identity is consequently tied to a specific building, its historic interior, and the continuity of film exhibition at the site rather than to a broader chain or corporate portfolio.

• 1982

  National Register designation

  [1]Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 30 for architectural significance.

• 1936

  Opening and first film

  [1]Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Washoe Theater opened on September 24, 1936, with The Texas Rangers as its first film.

• 1936

  Mirrophonic Sound system introduced

  [1]Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The theater opened with a sound system redesigned to showcase Western Electric's Mirrophonic Sound technology.

• 1931

  Construction substantially completed

  [1]Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The building was nearly finished, but its opening was delayed by the Great Depression.

• 1930

  Washoe Theater designed

  [1]Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org

  Seattle architect B. Marcus Priteca designed the new theater in the Nuevo Deco style.

• 1929

  Sundial Theater destroyed by fire

  [1]Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The predecessor theater was destroyed by fire, clearing the site for the Washoe Theater project.

• 1927

  Earlier theater remodeled and renamed

  [1]Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org

  The Margaret Theater on the site was remodeled and renamed the Sundial Theater.

A historic single-screen-style movie venue positioned around cinema exhibition, architectural heritage, and preservation of a distinctive Nuevo Deco movie-palace interior.

• Cinema exhibition · 1936

  Movie screenings

  The theater's primary offering is public motion-picture exhibition. Washoe Theater continues to operate as a cinema in the building for which it was originally designed, retaining the connection between film programming and the historic movie-palace setting.

• Cultural heritage venue · 1936

  Historic theater experience

  Beyond film admission, the venue offers an architectural and cultural experience centered on its Nuevo Deco design. Visitors encounter etched glass, carved reliefs, ornamental iron, copper decoration, silver and gold leaf, murals, ram-head motifs, and a historic silk curtain depicting deer stags.

• 1936

  Delayed opening and sound-system redesignStrategy

  Background

  The theater was nearly complete by 1931, but the Great Depression delayed its opening. The intervening period also coincided with rapid development in motion-picture sound.

  Action taken

  The opening was postponed until 1936, allowing the sound system to be redesigned around Western Electric's Mirrophonic Sound technology.

  Aftermath

  The theater opened as a technologically advanced cinema with acoustics and high-fidelity sound forming part of its original identity.

  Source

1. 1Washoe Theateren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Washoe Theater official websitewashoetheatre.com
3. 3Historic American Buildings Survey: Anaconda Historic District, Washoe Theaterloc.gov