Chic and Shambles- The Hollywood Theater
Posted By LaurenAccording to Citysearch, The Hollywood Theater is a “historic art deco theater.” It’s 80 years old and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There’s a pretty good history of the place here.
Parts of the theater are ornate and alluring in their antiquity. Glorious red curtains in the theater and arched white ceilings in the lobby and hallways. Some parts have merely been updated to make them ungloriously functional. Some attempts at redecoration have been unfortunate, like the pink sponge painted walls in the first floor ladies lounge or the awful turquoise and orange swirls behind the concession counter. There’s a display case in a hallway displaying nothing. Some things are still decaying. There’s crumbling plaster barely gripping the bathroom sinks. The red walls of the theaters are rough and cracked in places. The red and blue theater seats are covered in threadbare stiff velveteen.
Right now they are selling Christmas oraments to raise funds for the restoration of the venue. The more politically correct name for them is the “Portland Orament” but they have them hanging on a fake Christmas tree on the concession counter. They are $29.50.
I would like to see the Hollywood Theater restored to its full majesty, but there is something very honestly Portland about it right now. We dream about making it hip and retrostylish but who really has the time or money?
4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd
(503) 493-1128
www.hollywoodtheatre.org
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One Response to “Chic and Shambles- The Hollywood Theater”
1 Red Carpet Treatment » Portland Interior Design Blog 15 December 2006 @ 12:55 am
[…] Portland has a number of old-fashioned theaters, like the Hollywood Theater, that have been preserved and restored. Most of them show films after their initial release for cheaper prices. I love them. The old architecture is fun to look at and the antique-looking, maybe authentic, interior design is always an eye-catching balance between stylishly retro and awkward decay. Between the stale film titles and the thread bare seats, these theaters remind me of grandma trying to get last season’s fashions at a moth-balled thrift store. Who isn’t fond of that old lady? […]
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