Built in 1926, the Uptown Theater has long been an historical landmark around Queen Anne. Originally, the single screen movie house brought local patrons epic dramas and high stake adventures displayed across its silver screen.
"It used to have two taverns on either side of it, one of them was called the Streamline Tavern I remember," said Sig Haugland, a local property owner. "They had problems with people going to the tavern, getting drunk and then going into the Uptown and causing mischief."
The 84-year-old movie house with its colorful past would stand the test of time though, as businesses on both sides would come and go.
"Sterling Realty Organization (SRO) did the leasing of the building for a time," said David Schooler, president of SRO. "The French Restaurant, Le Tastevin opened next door to the Uptown and did very good. Owners Emile Ninaud and his partner Jacques Boiroux ran it for eight or 10 years before they went broke."
Later expanded from the single screen to a more modern triplex, the Uptown boasted three screens in three different auditoriums.
The owner of the 14,400 square foot space, Craig Moritz, a Minnesota resident, is now faced with the dilemma other businesses have encountered due to the struggling economy.
"In order to reuse that building, someone would have to spend a fair amount just to create a level floor," said Schooler. "In the first auditorium there is a scooped out floor and in the second and third auditoriums, the seats were elevated and put on risers.
"There is also a large wall separating auditorium one from the other two that is part of the structure. Without a retrofit or major renovation the best use I think would be a restaurant."
Ken Alhadeff bought Ballard's Majestic Bay Theatres in 1998 with the intent to renovate the 80-year-old theater. Instead, he constructed a new theater with a nautical themed interior design that has been popular in theaters' such as the John Danz, the Admiral and the Neptune. The Majestic celebrated its 10-year anniversary in October of this year.
Nowadays, growth of pay-per-view and movie rentals have made the desire for these historic icons almost obsolete.
"People just don't go to the movies that much anymore," said Krista Danielson, a resident of Queen Anne. "Not with same day rentals available at the touch of a button. Also, the Uptown didn't offer anything unique to set itself apart. Maybe if they had shown old black and white movies like 'Casablanca' or 'Citizen Kane' they could have created a niche market for themselves."
Although there is much speculation as to what will become of the old movie house, some residents of Queen Anne don't want to lose an historic landmark in their community.
"Everytime we lose one of these old buildings we end up with high-rise condominiums," said Gemma Laurent, another resident of Queen Anne. "That is exactly what we don't need."
The Uptown closed Nov. 28. Attempts made to contact the Moritz Family with questions regarding the future of the building were not answered by press time.[[In-content Ad]]
