Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Longview #14: Columbia Theatre

1231 Vandercook Way

Columbia Theatre in Longview, Washington on September 5, 2005
Columbia Theatre on September 5, 2005.

The 1,000-seat Columbia Theater opened April 4, 1925. Most of the interior is preserved as it was originally built. Stars including Clark Gable and Ginger Rogers have performed here. For many years, the Columbia was the only operating theater in Longview. On June 30, 1979, The Daily News announced the closure and eminent demolition of the Columbia Theatre to make room for a multiplex. The demolition was to begin on May 19, 1980, but the demolition equipment was diverted to assist in disaster relief efforts due to the eruption of Mt. St. Helens the day before. This allowed it to survive long enough for the Columbia Theatre Task Force to organize to save it. The City of Longview traded the Columbia Theater site for a nearby property the city owned adjacent to the Triangle Mall on December 9, 1982, saving the Columbia while allowing the 4-screen Triangle Mall Cinema to be built in 1983. The Columbia Theater reopened as the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts on November 22, 1983 with a Southwest Washington Symphony Performance. The Columbia Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 5, 1985. The upper floors originally contained 36 studio apartments. The apartments were renovated into 35 one-bedroom apartments in 1994. They are called the Sylvester Apartments and are leased by the Longview Housing Authority to low-income individuals and elderly couples. In February 2010, the Columbia Theatre reopened as an 800-seat theater after an $11.6-million renovation that began in 2009.

Historical Photos:
Columbia Theatre, circa 1925 (R.A. Long Historical Society)
Columbia Theatre, April 1980 (American Classic Images)
Columbia Theatre, August 1983 (American Classic Images)
Columbia Theatre, October 1986 (American Classic Images)

Related Links:
Columbia Theatre at CinemaTour
Columbia Theatre at Cinema Treasures
Columbia Theatre at the Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society
Columbia Theatre in Longview opens on April 4, 1925 from HistoryLink.org
Sylvester Apartments at the Longview Housing Authority

Continue to 15: Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Building

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