The Egyptian Theatre is an Egyptian style theater in Coos Bay Oregon.started its operations on November 19, 1925 during the popularization of Egyptian culture after the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen. The Egyptian Theatre was ran as a first one theater initially owned by Robert Marsden, and Harry C. Noble after initially being constructed as the Motor Inn Garage and Service Station. The Egyptian style design was designed by architects Lee Arden Thomas and Albert Mercier, who both designed the McDonald Theatre in Eugene and the Bagdad Theatre in Portland.
During the postwar era and the Great Depression, the Egyptian Theatre was able to remain in business via holding Bank Nights, where they held screenings of movies while also holding raffles and bank lotteries for cash and what groceries.
The Egyptian Theatre was also heavily regarded as a community venue where many musical artists would play, performances would be shown, and public events would be held such as blood drives, 4H fashion shows, etc.
In 1949, the Egyptian Theatre changed ownership over to the McSwain family. It is during this time that we see a decline in the typical moving going experience due to the popularity of drive-in theaters. Because of this, the Egyptian theater had its initial auditorium expanded to contain two screens, ultimately expanding the occupancy amount to over 1000 seats. In 1982, the Egyptian Theatre was sold, leading to four different movie companies owning the theater at different points over the next 20 years.
Then in 2005, the final commercial owner of the Egyptian Theatre, Coming Attractions, decides to close the movie theater. However, the next year, the Coos Bay Urban Renewal Agency decides to take up ownership over the Egyptian Theatre after a successful petition done by The citizens of the Coos Bay area. While the petition to keep the Egyptian Theatre open was successful, the Egyptian Theatre was forced to be closed down in 2011 due to much needed renovations due to years worth of decay of the building, causing major safety violations. However, after three years of such renovations, the Egyptian Theatre was reopened in 2014. In 2019, the Egyptian Theatre underwent expansion. And as of lately, the Egyptian theater has been fully restored as a community venue and repertoire theater and has been designated on the National Register of Historic Places and has since switched on a ship again to the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association.
Some interesting facts about the Egyptian Theatre that I had found or that it is one of four Egyptian style theaters that are still in operation in the United States and it is the last theater to have a Wurlitzer Organ in the state of Oregon.
The architectural design is also very one of a kind as well, given the fact that the walls are completely decorated with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs along with many statues of cobras and pharaohs decorating the lobby. This theater also takes on a more theater palace type of set up, with a mezzanine and a wide backdrop stage.
