After a short run as a theater, according to available newspaper clippings, The Nickelodion had its first ad in January 1907.

Alexander Pantages was a Greek immigrant who opened more than 60 theaters across the western United States and Canada. The Pantages Theater circuit was quite successful, and three of its theaters still function today in Hollywood, Minneapolis, and Tacoma. During the 20th century, the theaters would showcase both films and live vaudeville performances.

Located on NW 23^rd and Kearny St, the Esquire theater was an entertainment staple for the Nob Hill neighborhood in Portland, Oregon.

In the issue of the Oregon Daily Journal on February 22, 1914, the story of P.A. Marquam and his improvement on the Marquam Building from a $500 property to a million dollar building appeared.

In 1922, Para

When the Bagdad Theatre opened on January 14, 1927 in the Hawthorne District audiences were drawn to the theater by bright lights, live music, and street dancers.

In the dawn of our first world war, with Christmas right around the corner, the people of Portland in December of 1914 seemed to enjoy the basic shopping and merriment that comes around the holiday season.

In 1921 there was only one movie more successful than Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid.

Precautions and Prestige

Unfortunately the movie business was not always the safest or the most secure by any means in the early days of exhibition. Portland was by no means an exception to this trend and as time went on, it didn't take long for entrepreneurs to take preventative measures.