Seattle preservation: Pike Place Market, Neptune Theater, and the Cinerama

AP photo by Ted S. Warren.

Just a couple weeks ago was the 50th anniversary of the saving of the Pike Place Market, which is one of the signature public markets in the U.S.  

The market district is known for sparking the creation of Starbucks as an international chain as well as the national Sur La Table kitchen store retail chain.

And it's one of Seattle's most visited tourist attractions, which is a strength and a weakness, in that tourists tend to not purchase food to be prepared for meals later, making it harder for fresh-food businesses to survive.

Sadly, the signature Pike Place News magazine stand closed in 2019 ("Newsstands closing in San Diego and Seattle: revisiting cultural retail planning for books and periodicals").

In the 1960s, like many other inner city landmarks, Pike Place was on the decline, and the city proposed an urban renewal project that mostly would have eradicated it.  

Councilman Sam Smith. left, and Councilwoman Mrs. Phyllis Lamphere were among the pickets at City Hall yesterday. Virtually all were protesting the Pike Plaza urban-renewal plan. Mrs. Lamphere, who supports the urban-renewal plan, was in a sense picketing pickets. At center was Victor Steinbrueck, architect and a leader of Friends of the Market, an organization backing preservation of the Pike Place Market area. Eighty to 100 persons picketed the building yesterday noon. Friends of the Market contends urban renewal would destroy the market's spirit and result in mistreatment of market-area residents and businessmen. Some city officials contend the market is in disrepair and cannot be saved without the investment of public money. 4/2/1971 (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)

A community campaign to save it, comparable to similar campaigns at the time, across the country (like the one in DC that ended up saving the Old Post Office building, see "Old Post Office: This iconic building played an important part in preservation history in DC," DC Preservation League), culminated in a citizen-initiated referendum where a majority of citizens voted to save the market by rejecting the urban renewal proposal.

They created the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority which owns, manages, and operates the market, but also operates low income housing as a way to help keep people off the streets.

-- Inside Pike Place Market: Building a Model Public Market into the 21st Century, digital book

In October, the Seattle Times published two articles on the anniversary ("How Seattle pulled together 50 years ago to preserve Pike Place Market — and the soul of the city" and "The Save the Market campaign taught Seattle how — and why — to fight").

2.  The Neptune Theater.  The ST also has an article about the 100th anniversary of the Neptune Theater, which opened as a movie house but today is a live performance venue ("Seattle’s Neptune Theatre, celebrating 100 years, is full of memories and magic").  

The Neptune was a movie theater for most of its 100 years, becoming a performing arts venue only in the past decade. After the movie screen was taken out, a stage was built for the live performances. The chairs on the floor, at center, can be taken out so the crowd below can stand during shows. (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle TImes)

It's operated by the Seattle Theater Group (" Behind the screens at century-old Neptune Theatre," MyNorthwest), which also operates the Moore and Paramount Theaters.

3.  Cinerama.  A current Seattle preservation matter is how to save the Cinerama theater ("Seattle needs a hero to save beloved Cinerama," Seattle Times).  The building isn't historically designated and there is a petition to "save it."

Cinerama opened in 1963, fell into disrepair as the center city declined, and then was revived.

While it has been closed since the pandemic, you'd think it wouldn't be a problem "saving it" since it is owned by the heirs of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. 

But according to the paper, it's no longer of interest to the firm, which spearheaded the creation of the "SoDo district," attracting to it Amazon's headquarters and other signature tenants.  From the article:

In May 2020, Vulcan announced that it was closing its Arts + Entertainment division, as well as its filmmaking entity, Vulcan Productions. Cinerama, which was closed for renovations, was suddenly shuttered “for the foreseeable future.”

It's also an illustration of my point that community cultural master plans should incorporate broader guidance on private facilities, in case conditions change, and create city/county-wide initiatives that can buy, hold, build (if necessary), and operate cultural assets such as these.

-- "BTMFBA revisited: nonprofits and facilities planning and acquisition," 2016
-- "Revisiting stories: cultural planning and the need for arts-based community development corporations as real estate operators," 2018
-- "Reprinting with a slight update, "Arts, culture districts and revitalization" from 2009," 2019

It is interesting though on the juxtaposition of the "new" issue of the Cinerama in contrast to the anniversary of the saving of Pike Place Market.

Option 1.  What the "save" campaign should do is petition the Allen Family and the Vulcan firm to donate the building to a new nonprofit to run the theater, ideally with a tie-off grant to put it in a secure financial position.

Seattle already has an example of this, the Grand Illusion Theater in the University District ("Explore Seattle’s romantic — and vanishing — historic moviehouses," ST).

DC has a related but somewhat dissimilar example, but there are many across the country.  In 2001, Loews Theaters closed it and to make it harder for a competitor to use, they stripped out the seats and equipment.  Residents, fearing it would close, created an initiative that successfully bought the building and they continue to operate it today ("The Avalon Theatre Birth – and Rebirth," Historic Chevy Chase).

Option 2.  Work with a larger nonprofit entity, such as how the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative in Pittsburgh has supported the development of arts related anchors in their arts district ("Artists bring flourish to Penn Avenue," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "A Transformed Penn Avenue," Pittsburgh Magazine, Vacancy to Vitality in Pittsburgh’s East End: Penn Avenue Arts Initiative, case study, Metris Arts Consulting). and how the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Playhouse Square CDC in Cleveland operate multiple venues ("The Howard and Lincoln Theatres: run them like the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust/Playhouse Square Cleveland model," 2012).

Seattle has analogues to Pittsburgh and Cleveland with the Seattle Theatre Group, a nonprofit operating three theaters, and the Seattle International Film Festival, which also operates three theaters.

Another option could be working with the Grand Illusion Theater.  But it seems to me like SIFF or STG would be stronger options in terms of experience in operating multiple properties.

Option 3.  Work with a for profit entity.  For me, the McMenamins Group comes to mind ("The McMenamin Brothers," Northwest Travel & Life).  Originally focused on Portland, today they operate cinemas, brew pubs, and inns throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

They are super focused on historic preservation ("Preserved in alcohol: Case studies of adaptive reuse projects by McNenamins, Inc.," PhD thesis). 

One of their signature properties is the Baghdad Theater in the Hollywood district of Portland, to which they added food and drink.  

The firm's interest in preserving cinemas--not all in historic buildings--has been key to the maintenance of neighborhood-based cinemas in Portland.

But the Puget Sound region has its own local cinema-focused firm, Far Away Entertainment, which is focused on preserving the operation of cinemas in smaller towns and historic buildings, including two in Seattle, the Admiral and the Varsity ("Growing Big by Sticking with Small Theaters," Kitsap Sun).

Conclusion.  Unlike many communities it seems as if there are three potentially viable options for preserving and operating the Cinerama as an ongoing cultural venue.

I would find it hard to believe that Vulcan Realty would be against exploring these options.