Geller’s Theatre was the dream project of a Russian born American named Ike Geller, who entered the theater business in 1923 when he opened Walnut Park Theatre in Northeast Portland. Four years later, in 1927, Geller worked with architect Edward A. Miller to construct a vaudeville house with “a Golden 20’s aesthetic.” The theater was called, simply, "Geller's." The theater played host to vaudeville performers such as “Jack Benny, until the mid 1930s when the demand for cinema overtook that for live performance,” (Lime, 1). The auditorium of the Geller is still the same as it was nearly a century ago, with 620 seats, a balcony, chandelier, organ grilles, and the entire front marquee are all still intact today – minus the infamously grand “Geller’s Theatre” sign. In the early 1930s, the theater was equipped with a projector and a small screen to host movie-going audiences and transitioned away from its show house style. In 1934, the Geller Theatre was renamed the “Aladdin Theatre,” which remained an all-ages cinema until the 1970s when it became an adult entertainment theater. Today, the Aladdin is still open and hosting live musical performances.
