Enjoy this video of the opening ceremony of “The Ship Sails Again” on the evening of March 22, 2017, at the Historic Admiral Theater. The video is contributed by Klem Daniels of Klem Daniels Productions.
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Enjoy these photos contributed by Tom Reese of the evening of March 22, 2017, when hundreds crowded into the Historic Admiral Theater to celebrate a $1.7 million renovation that resulted in four brand-new auditoriums with new seats, new restrooms, all-digital projection and much more. Featured that evening were film programs from the theater’s four eras: the Portola Theater (1919-1941), the Admiral Theater (1942-1972), the Admiral Twin Theater (1973-2016) and the present-day Historic Admiral Theater. That the nearly 100-year-old building is preserved and open for business owes to our successful campaign to secure city landmark status for the moviehouse in 1989.
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Here, with photos kindly supplied by Larry Wymer, former assistant manager of the city-landmark Admiral Theater, we provide the first public glimpses of the renovation of the theater’s eastern auditorium. (Click on each photo to see a larger version.)
While work is taking place in the eastern auditorium, the Admiral’s western auditorium remains operational, now showing the remake of “The Magnificent Seven.” The eastern auditorium is closed and locked to the public while work continues.
Each auditorium eventually will be split into two smaller auditoriums, with new seats facing screens that will be installed on a wall to be built in what is now the center of each present auditorium.
For the first time in decades, these photos reveal one of the underwater applique murals that were originally created and installed when the Admiral opened in 1942.
The murals are damaged, with many of the appliques missing from the walls, but the good news is that there are clear outlines of where the appliques originally were on display. The new interior auditorium walls that will be installed will abut the murals snugly but not damage them. With the outlines and vintage photos of the original walls, a restoration plan can be created. By the time of the Admiral’s grand reopening, expected late this year, a plan also will have been assembled to raise funds for the murals’ restoration.
We thank Larry Wymer, Jeff Brein, Dinah Brein and others with Far Away Entertainment for sharing these images with us so that we can pass them on to you.
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Below is the press release from Far Away Entertainment from Sept. 15, 2016.
With all required city building permits in hand, upgrades, expansion and renovations of the Historic Admiral Theater in West Seattle will begin in earnest on Monday, Sept. 19, with a completion date expected in November.
Moviegoers will be able to see films at the Admiral during the construction period, according to Jeff Brein, managing partner of Far Away Entertainment, the Bainbridge Island-based group that operates the theater.
“Our principal goal is to keep the theater open during this process, albeit on a limited basis,” Brein said. “Initially, weekday films will be presented in a single theater, with expanded schedules on weekends. As the project progresses and additional auditoriums are readied we expect the number of movie offerings to increase.”
Brein and partner Sol Baron have worked with building owner Marc Gartin for several years to plan a history-based renovation of the iconic 1942 theater, for which the Southwest Seattle Historical Society secured city landmark status 27 years ago. The Gartin family purchased and reopened the theater in 1992 after a three-year closure.
The current two-auditorium footprint will expand to four and will feature stadium seating in two larger auditoriums. Additional enhancements will include new, state-of-the-art digital laser projection systems, a 3D auditorium, Dolby Digital sound systems, new seating with beverage cup holders and upgraded carpeting, concessions area and restrooms.
“Additionally,” Brein said, “we have been working with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and plan to reveal and eventually restore the original, interior auditorium murals featuring underwater
appliqués that have been hidden since the theater was twinned in 1973. We also have been working together on other improvements, including repainting of the lobby and preservation of its 1942 mural of Captain George Vancouver and other artwork. Other less apparent enhancements will include a revised traffic flow pattern for ticket sales and more open space in the lobby, improved theater floor lighting and an upgrade of the theater’s marquee.”
The Admiral Theater project team includes Swinterton Builders, CDA Architecture and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, as well as the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, which approved the renovation in June. Credit also goes to King County Council member Joe McDermott and King County Executive Dow Constantine, both West Seattle residents, for helping secure a $95,000 “Saving Landmarks” grant from 4Culture last November.
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society eagerly anticipates the renovation, said Clay Eals, executive director. “We are thrilled that these many improvements will allow the Admiral Theater to thrive well into the future and can occur without harming – and actually exposing and showcasing more of – the building’s historic features,” Eals said.
“We salute Far Away Entertainment and the Gartin family ownership for their perseverance and heart,” he said. “This renovation project and the existence of the theater itself wouldn’t be possible without the grassroots effort that saved it in 1989, and the history of this moviehouse, an art deco masterpiece, is a shining example of how neighbors engaging in the landmark process can add economic vitality to the city while building community pride.”
To read a history of the Admiral Theater, click here.
To read about and see video and photos of our Group Hug of the Admiral Theater from June 3, 2016, click here.
