Pacific Building (Salem, Oregon)
Bligh Building/Pacific Building | |
Location | 508–524 State Street Salem, Oregon |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°56′22″N 123°2′13″W / 44.93944°N 123.03694°W |
Built | 1926 |
Architect | Tourtellotte[1] & Hummel |
Architectural style | Commercial style |
Part of | Salem Downtown State Street – Commercial Street Historic District (ID01001067) |
Added to NRHP | September 28, 2001 |
The Capitol Theater was located at 542 State Street in
Bligh Building and Capitol Theater
The building, constructed in 1926 for owner Frank D. Bligh, covered a quarter of a block. At the time it was built, it had twelve storefronts and thirty-five rooms designed for offices, as well as what was known at the time as the New Bligh Capitol Theater, with 1,200 seats.[5] Bligh owned several theaters in Salem, including the original Bligh Theater built in 1912 and closed in 1927.[5] For a time Bligh owned the Klinger Grand Theater, which he also renamed Bligh Theater.[5] The Capitol Theater's brightly lit marquee was constructed of stained glass in the shape of the dome of the second Oregon State Capitol building, which was destroyed in a 1935 fire.[1]
Decline and demolition
The theater converted from vaudeville to movies. By 1952 the glass dome marquee had been replaced.[6] By the 1980s, it was one of only two pre-World War II theaters left in downtown Salem, which had once hosted as many as eight. Like its neighbor, the Elsinore Theatre, the Capitol declined to a second-run movie house. It was closed in 1990.[7]
The Capitol Theater was demolished in May/June 2000
Theater organ
The theater's 3/8 (3-
References
- ^ a b "Capitol Theater". The Oregon Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c d "Capitol Theatre". Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ a b "Salem's Theatrical History". Salem Online History: Salem Public Library. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ "Salem Downtown State Street-Commercial Street Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". National Park Service. August 2, 2001. p. 94. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c
Clark, Robert Carlton (1927). History of the Willamette Valley Oregon: Frank D. Bligh. Vol. 3. Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company. p. 158. OCLC 4711206. Archived from the originalon December 23, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ West, Robert D. "Salem, Oregon Places: Historic Downtown". Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ Green, Virginia (July 23, 2010). "Salem in 1990". Salem Heritage Network. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ^ "508-524 State Street". Salem Online History: Salem Public Library. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
External links
- "Capitol Theater". The Oregon Encyclopedia.
- Capitol Theater from Cinema Treasures
- Historic images of Capitol Theater from Salem Public Library
- Facade of theater in 1980
- Image of Capitol Theater from 1999 from Salemoregon.com
- Zimmerman, Andy (November 16, 2013). "SJ time capsule: Capitol Theatre, an entertainment destination until the '90s". Statesman Journal. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2018.