Located in the Arletta neighborhood of Portland, the Star Theater was built in 1915. It was a single-screen theater, seating 300 upon its opening, and run by Charles A. Ames, a Spanish-American War veteran who moved to Portland from Michigan in 1906. In 1928, Ames renamed the theater after himself. The establishment would be known as the Ames Theater for the rest of its four-decade existence. In 1929, the theater was outfitted with audio equipment and began showing talkies.
The theater was a staple of Foster Boulevard for decades. In 1935, the theater sponsored a Junior League baseball team, simply known as "Ames Theater." The team played against rivals such as "New Way Laundry" and "Walnut Park Theater." The theater was remodeled and renovated in July of 1943.
Newspaper ads provide a record of some movies shown at the Ames: In 1936, they were showing "Anna Karenina" and "The Goose and the Gander." In 1939, they showed "The Great Waltz" and "Off the Record." in 1947, they showed "Deep Valley" and "Gunfighters," and in 1952, they showed "O. Henry's Full House" and "Sudden Fear."
In December of 1964, Charles A. Ames passed away at the age of 83. Less than two years later, the theater was sold to the Day family, the owners of the music shop next door. The Ames, now renamed the "Day Theater," ceased operations as a movie theater and was converted to a theater for music and dance. In 2010, after being owned and operated by 5 generations o
f the Day family, the theater was again sold, this time to Portland-based music producer Tim Ellis. Ellis had plans to renovate the theater into a state-of-the-art recording studio and music venue, and rented the space out to a dance studio for years. However, after Ellis's death in 2016, the theater was left abandoned, falling into disrepair. Just before the 108-year-old building was repossessed by the city and torn down in 2023, Portland dance instructor Sarah Rigles purchased the venue. Now called the Foster Theater, the building that once housed the Ames Theater is being repurposed into an all-encompassing performing arts venue.
