Egyptian Theater (Seattle)

Last updated

Egyptian Theater
Seattle - Egyptian Theater 02 (cropped).jpg
The building's exterior, 2014
Egyptian Theater (Seattle)
Alternative namesSIFF Egyptian Cinema
General information
Type Movie theater
Location805 East Pine Street
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates 47°36′54″N122°19′18″W / 47.61500°N 122.32167°W / 47.61500; -122.32167
Completed1916
Renovated1980, 2014
Owner Seattle Colleges
Website
siff.net

The Egyptian Theater, also known as the SIFF Cinema Egyptian, is a movie theater in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. The theater is located on Pine Street near the Seattle Central College campus. From 2013 to 2024, it was operated by the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).

The theater is located in a historic Masonic Temple, which opened in 1916 and served several local lodges. The four-story brick and terra cotta building included a 1,800-seat auditorium designed by B. Marcus Priteca that was used for community events. [1] [2] The auditorium was renovated by SIFF and decorated in an Egyptian theme; it reopened on November 14, 1980, as the 520-seat Egyptian Theater, with a screening of the French film Charles and Lucie . [3] The building was sold to Seattle Central College in 1992 and its theater, which had been acquired by the chain Landmark Theaters. [1] [4]

Landmark continued to operate the Egyptian Theater until June 27, 2013, after the company declined to renew its lease with Seattle Central College. [5] SIFF took over the lease in May 2014 and raised $340,000 from crowdsourced donations to repair and reopen the theater. [6] The SIFF Egyptian Theater reopened on October 3, 2014. [7] The theater returned to the SIFF circuit beginning with the 42nd annual festival in 2016. [8]

The theater closed indefinitely in November 2024 due to water damage following a leak on the fourth floor. Several screenings were moved to other SIFF venues around the city. [9] On October 9th, 2025, SIFF and Seattle Central Colleges announced that SIFF will not continue its lease to manage and operate the Egyptian Theatre due to the high repair costs associated with the water damage and SIFF's financial outlook. [10] The future of the theatre is unclear as Seattle Central Colleges announced they are continuing their focus on how to best use the facilities to best support their students and the college's mission. [11]

References

  1. 1 2 Sherrard, Jean (October 3, 2019). "For 103 years, a monument to Masonry and the movies". The Seattle Times . Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  2. ↑ Arnold, William (November 14, 1980). "A Road Film Well Worth the Ride". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . p. 25.
  3. ↑ Hartl, John (November 14, 1980). "Fluffy French comedy is opening movie at new Egyptian Theater". The Seattle Times. p. 6.
  4. ↑ Hartl, John (February 1, 1988). "Egyptian Theater's ownership changes". The Seattle Times. p. E1.
  5. ↑ Pulkkinen, Levi (June 18, 2013). "Seattle's Egyptian Theater to close". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ Ho, Vanessa (August 6, 2014). "Historic Seattle movie theater to re-open". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ Lerman, Rachel (October 3, 2014). "The Egyptian Theater reopens after remodel" . Puget Sound Business Journal . Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  8. ↑ "The Egyptian, Capitol Hill's working cinema, ready for another big role in 42nd SIFF". Capitol Hill Seattle Blog . May 16, 2016. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Hutchinson, Chase (November 7, 2024). "SIFF Cinema Egyptian to close temporarily because of water damage". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  10. ↑ "SIFF announces it will end lease at historic Egyptian movie theater". The Seattle Times. October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  11. ↑ "SIFF to Conclude Operations at the Egyptian Theatre After a Decade of Stewardship". www.siff.net. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.