It’s time for a monthly trip back into our neighborhood’s history, courtesy of the Queen Anne Historical Society. This month’s featured building is the SIFF Uptown Theatre.
SIFF Uptown
by Michael Herschensohn, President, Queen Anne Historical Society
For the second year running SIFF has centered its May-June festival at the Uptown, a name commonly given to American movie theaters. Ours is a rare case where the name has been taken by its surrounding neighborhood.
As the 1937 view shows, the building had only one theater. As in many small movie houses, the second story shared restrooms to either side of a lounge. Behind them a narrow projection room with huge wheels of 35mm film that turned in front of extremely hot lights.
Having grown into the space of the shops on its south side (remember le Tastevin?), the Uptown today has three theaters while the marquee installed in 1953 hides the lounge windows.
Not surprising, with 35mm film replaced by digital technology, the stove pipe that vented the heat of the projector light bulb sits idle. Otherwise, architect Victor W. Voorhees’ 1926 design has shrunk by some 234 seats to accommodate new bathrooms and a larger lobby.
If you’re interested in the history or Queen Anne, you can join the QAHS at individual or family levels online. The QAHS meets bi-monthly with programs about the history of Queen Anne, with the goal of preserving the heritage of our neighborhood.