The Kennedy School Theater opened on October 22, 1997, at 7 am to the sound of the principal's bell during the grand opening of McMenamins refurbished Kennedy School, and sits in what was once the auditorium for the original 82-year-old building. After 17 years of vacancy, it was purchased by the McMenamins brothers, who, alongside the Concordia neighborhood and Portland Development Commission, spent over 4.5 million dollars to fully renovate and open the property. Opened just 8 months after McMenamins Crystal Ballroom, it was called “the most remarkable reincarnation in Portland history”.
The Theater began as part of the Kennedy School’s grand opening celebration, lasting four days from the 22nd to the 25th, and debuted with “short films and cartoons” which were free and open to all ages from 5-10 pm each day.
The theater quickly became a venue for local programming and event hosting. In 1998, it hosted early promotional screenings of major releases such as Saving Private Ryan for $1 admission, and in 1999 began screening classic film events like The Asphalt Jungle (1950) for $2. It would go on to host community-organized events in Portland and partner with various organizations throughout the early 2000s, becoming a designated host for the annual Cascade Festival of African Films. Around this time, Kennedy School began its “History Pub Series,”; playing co-sponsored local programs centered around state historical topics and documentaries. These programs were usually accompanied by experts or scholars on the topic, and included collaborations with hop growers, indie filmmakers, and Indigenous historians. The hotel would (and still does) offer 15% off on history pub nights.
In September of 2004, the theater manager at the time, Pete Boicourt, organized and hosted the very first, unadvertised "mommy matinee", in which the theater's lighting and sound were altered to accommodate parents of young children in a relaxed social theater setting. These events, which began on the first screening on each Tuesday and Thursday, have evolved over time into the contemporary "Baby Blockbusters", now hosted only on Thursdays.
The theater space measures 3400 square feet (50x68) with 30 feet from floor to ceiling, and, although being a public theater, can also be privately reserved as an event space Monday through Friday.
The Kennedy School Theater can seat up to 200 audience members on a flat floor with vintage couches, interspersed with nightstands and coffee tables. The Theater includes food and bar service, and orders are brought to you at your seat in the theater before or during the program. The earliest programming begins at 1 pm, and the theater and restaurant sections of the Kennedy School remain open until 10 pm. The price for admissions has consistently been low, and, alongside McMenamin's other theaters, comprises between only 2-4% of the company's business. The theater is instead used to draw customers to other parts of the Kennedy School, with most of their money coming from restaurant and bar sales. Beer and concessions are a particular attraction to nearby Washington residents, who come across state lines to watch a movie free from sales tax (and with better beer). The Theater offers extensive accessibility options for hard-of-hearing or vision-impaired moviegoers, including closed captioned glasses and special headphones that increase dialogue audio or describe scenery and action.
Alongside their many promotional events and showings, the Kennedy School Theater has also notably hosted personal events like memorial celebrations, all-day film events like a "Lord of the Rings" marathon (with themed food and activities), and free admission for a live showing of the Super Bowl in Febuary 2020.
COVID-19 shut down the Kennedy School Theater, along with numerous other venues across Portland, in March of 2020, when social distancing guidelines banned gatherings of more than 25 people. It hesitantly re-opened 11 months later, in Febuary 2021, under the then-head of theaters for the company, Conners McMenamin. Throughout this time, Theater employees were shifted to brewery and restaurant duty, and the theater seating was reduced by half to comply with social distancing. Shortly thereafter, the state's ARPA Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds program awarded the Kennedy School Theater 40,000 dollars (an award also given to, but not split between, other McMenamins theaters).
In October of 2024, from the 16th-20th, the theater served as a venue for the Portland Film Festival, screening a remarkable 78 back-to-back films. Today, it continues its History Pub series and presentations, as well as its Thursday-weekly "baby blockbusters." It continually shows second-run features, older releases, and international pictures, and frequently fills its 200-seat theater with neighbors, community members, and general film-goers, who come to enjoy a movie in the historic and culturally-preserved neighborhood school.
