My Favorite Places: The Olympic Theatre

The car on the right side of the street marks the location of the Olympic Theatre in this Ellis Postcard from the 1940s.

1945 schedule

The Olympic Theatre, at 107 N. Olympic Avenue, is one of only two independently owned, single screen movie theaters remaining in Snohomish County (the other being The Edmonds Theatre).

I first saw a movie there in 1978 when my family moved to Arlington. It was "the" place for pre-teens and teenagers to go in town -- it was a safe place to go in a time when Arlington didn't have that many constructive activities for kids outside of school programs.

Built in 1939, the 300 seat theater has had sound and screen upgrades in recent years. It has a charm that the big multiplex theaters can't compete with. They also can't compete with the Olympic's ticket and concession prices.

Admission to evening shows is just $7 for adults and $5.5 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors; it's just $4.50 for the 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees. And where else can you get a concession stand "Triple Feature" consisting of a large drink, a small candy and a large popcorn for just $7.75?

The Olympic as it appears today.

In 2001, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed old single-screen movie theaters as among the nation's most-endangered historic places -- which to me makes the Olympic Theatre all the more special, and another another reason why we shouldn't take Old Town Arlington's historic character for granted.

For a more detailed article on the Olympic, as well as additional photos, read Herald writer Gale Feige's article from last year, "Arlington's 72-year-old movie house is a one-woman show."
 
For screening schedules and upcoming attractions, visit olympictheatre.net.

Three views of Arlington, part three

For the final views of Arlington's historic "Old Town," I sadly only have two images, which have a lapse of some 40 or more years between them. Perhaps some kind soul out there might have a view of Olympic Avenue from the 1970s or 1980s (although this was an era when many of the historic building facades were replaced with "modern" -- but much less attractive -- architectural detailing).

This view is from sometime in the 1960s, again showing the "heart" of downtown, E. 3rd Street and Olympic Avenue. The brick building is still in place on the northwest corner. City Hall is situated on the southwest side, which at the time also housed the police and fire departments (remember, at this time Arlington's population was approximately 2,500).

This final view of Arlington's historic "Old Town," was photographed by yours truly in March 2008, and shows the results of the completed street resurfacing that had taken place over the course of a two year period.

Arlington is truly an example of the adage "the more things change, the more they remain the same." While there were obviously significant changes in the structures along Railroad/Olympic in the first half of the 20th century, not much has changed since then. While the town has grown to a population of more than 17,000, "Old Town" remains ageless, in a way. That is a rare quality in this day and age.

If you missed the earlier views, part one is here; and part two can be found here.

Three views of Arlington, part two

In the second era of Arlington's downtown core, Railroad Avenue became Olympic Avenue, and was photographed extensively by J. Boyd Ellis and his son Clifford of the Ellis Postcard Company*, located right here in Arlington.

Here are three Ellis views of the intersection of Olympic Avenue and E. 3rd Street.

The first view shows more of the east side of the intersection, and by the looks of the cars on the street, may be from the 1930s (before there was a stoplight). Just out of the screen shot to the left is City Hall.

The second and third views look to be taken sometime in the 1940s, based on the cars in the photo. The third view provides a better glimpse of the City Hall building.

If you missed part one, click here.

*Boyd and his son Clifford were prolific postcard photographers for the better part of half of the 20th century, documenting towns and landscapes from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and beyond. I will be writing about them more as this blog progresses.