When you step inside the Admiral Theatre, it’s as if you’re stepping back in time. That’s because the West Seattle movie house, which sits along California Avenue SW, has gone largely untouched—save for a few tweaks in the ’60s and ’70s—since opening in 1942. (The theater first opened in 1919 as the Portola. You can read more about its extensive history here.)

Despite the Admiral’s wear and tear, it’s a treasured landmark to West Seattleites and beyond, who over the years have rallied to save the Art Deco darling when developers came knocking. In 1989, after its then-owner Cineplex Odeon had officially closed the theater, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society organized a Save The Admiral task force, which eventually led to the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board deeming it a city landmark. According to the Historical Society, this designation meant that no owner of the building could make changes to the Admiral’s historic features without approval of the board.

For the past nine years, Bainbridge Island-based theater management company Far Away Entertainment has owned the Admiral, operating it as a second-run theater with live acts, festivals, art shows and more. But as attendance waned, Far Away’s managing partner Jeff Brein knew it was time for a change.

“It’s in declining physical condition and things are worn out,” says Brein, whose company manages nine other theaters in Western Washington. “If we can put some money into it and restore it to its earlier glory days, we’re confident that there is a local population who would come back.”

After multiple meetings with the building’s landlord (Brein jokes there were about 10,000), all parties were able to work together and come up with a concept that involved an extensive remodel to the property that would still preserve its historic heritage, including adding two more auditoriums with elevated stadium seating, new screens with 3D capability, Dolby Digital surround sound, updating the existing seats to more comfortable rocker chairs (with cup holders!), modernizing the restrooms and adding more stalls, changing out the carpeting and curtains, and revamping its concessions with a new color scheme.

Part of the lobby and the concessions, which are slated to receive a refresh

Thanks to its recent conversion from 35mm film to digital laser projectors, which provide better contrast and a brighter image, the Admiral now has the ability to screen more new films along with its second-run options.

“There were hardly any films being made in 35mm any more,” Admiral manager and Jeff’s sister Dinah Brein says. “We got lucky with a couple; our first 35mm film that showed the industry what we could do was Interstellar because [director] Christopher Nolan wanted the theaters [that still projected] 35mm and 70mm to have the first shot. It did wonderfully here and our numbers were as good as any of my brother’s theaters.”

Now that the digital projectors have been installed, Dinah Brein says it’s “night and day” in regards to the quality and movie options, and her new challenge of only having two screens will be addressed in the renovation. “In first-run, you’re obligated to keep the movie as long as the revenue is up, so while we had American Sniper forever,” she says, “there were other movies coming out that I wanted but I couldn’t get. We need four theaters to rotate in new movies.”

Jeff Brein emphasizes that this is not an expansion, but rather “an aggressive renovation” and that there are no plans to change portions of the building that are visible to the exterior. To create the two additional theaters, they’ll divide the two existing theaters in half. The new theaters will feature the elevated stadium seating, while the others will retain the same sloping floor layout and existing balconies accessed via the original Crow’s Nest Lounge (where beer and wine service will also continue).

One of the two existing theaters

The Admiral’s nautical theme—the portholes dating back to the Portola days, tiny seahorses on the chandeliers and exit signs, and the large lobby mural scene of captain George Vancouver’s 1792 exploration of the Puget Sound region—will remain intact. And due to financial support from grants and the community, several hand-painted historic murals that have been hidden behind curtains for more than 35 years will be restored to their original condition.

Additionally, the exterior marquee will be redesigned and closely modeled after the marquee when the Admiral opened in 1942.

“We deeply appreciate the crucial steps that will serve to enhance and revitalize the building’s infrastructure and make it possible for this Art Deco gem to have a bright future for the community of West Seattle and beyond,” executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society Clay Eals said in a press release.

As for now, the renovation timetable is still up in the air, Jeff Brein notes. They’re entering the permitting process and have plans to keep the theater open and operating during the upgrades with minimal disruptions to moviegoers.

“We certainly don’t want to close for Star Wars or the last Hunger Games,” Dinah Brein says.

The stairs that lead up to the Crow’s Nest and balconies