Historic North Bend Theatre is for Sale
The 76-year-old theater could be yours for $799,000.
By Michael Rietmulder November 10, 2017
It’s been a rough year for Seattle-area movie theaters. Cinephiles and casual moviegoers were collectively bummed when two iconic Seattle theaters closed in June. Now, North Benders are at risk of losing their historic 76-year-old theater.
Owners of the North Bend Theatre, whose vintage façade dots the town’s main drag, have put the old-school movie house up for sale.
“It’s been a huge part of who we are for more than a decade and been one of the most interesting chapters of our lives,” wrote co-owner Cindy Walker in a Facebook post this week.
For the past 12 years, the Walker family has steered the landmark theater through some tough times. In 2013, they launched a successful GoFundMe campaign, raising $107,000 to upgrade to a digital projector in line with contemporary technology. Under their watch, the theater also secured a grant to replace the roof. Beyond showing movies, the theater has hosted a number of community events over the years.
Walker wrote that her family is moving on to a “new chapter” in their lives and the family is seeking $799,000 for the theater built in 1941. The Walkers hope to find a new owner “who appreciates the importance of the North Bend Theatre’s energy in the Snoqualmie Valley.”
“For our family, and me in particular, owning the North Bend Theatre has been an incredible ride,” Walker wrote. “We’ve felt very blessed to be in a situation to have a real impact on so many sectors of our community.”
While the North Bend Theatre’s future remains to be seen, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom for local theaters. On the Eastside, Lincoln Square’s expansion marched on this summer with the addition of a snazzy new high-end theater offering food and drink service right to your seat. Elsewhere, these greater Seattle theaters still have old-school cinema charm, plus modern amenities.
Follow Us
Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride
Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.
Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…
Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…
Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison
Seattle artist Jennifer Leigh Harrison uses layers of paint and abstraction to explore what we carry beneath the surface.
Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s paintings are dense with movement. Color and texture gather into mosaic-like fields, as if they have been fractured and reformed. There are places in the work where a frenetic buzz seems trapped between the canvas and the first layer of paint. That energy runs through Patterns of Belonging, her current exhibition at…
ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart
The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.
Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…