Des Moines Cinema
22333 Marine View Drive S,
Des Moines,
WA
98198
22333 Marine View Drive S,
Des Moines,
WA
98198
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The Des Moines Cinema building was opened in March 1947 by Delbert and Wally Osterhoudt to house a 400-seat cinema, retail stores and office spaces.
The cinema over the years has changed hands and had been closed entirely. In 1973, the theater was sold and changed from running family-oriented films to showing adult movies. Local groups picketed the theater in the 1970’s, and in the 1980’s the city even took legal action.
In the 1990’s, the theater reopened under new management and reverted to showing family-oriented films.
It features 1940’s decor, snack bar, a stage and screened second-run movies. The theater is on situated on Marine View Drive and could go almost unnoticed by people driving by. It was closed in January 2012.
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Kate
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
Now that the Lewis and Clark theater has closed, the Des Moines Cinema has started showing first-run movies. That along with the closing of 12 screens in Federal Way means this single screen movie theater has a large area of South King County all to itself.
I remember that in the 1960s this theater would project advertisements out the upper window onto the wall of the building across the alley. The only movie I can recall seeing there was Bambi which really messed with my head, animals being burned alive. Later when it became a porno house I was still pretty young & it seemed so weird that I’d seen Bambi in a porno theater.
I just discovered that this theater closed TEMPORARILY in December for repairs. It had to close for noncompliance building issues. A bunch of volunteers stepped up to help operator Joel Thomson get the theater into compliance. The theater is expected to reopen this month. Fingers crossed!
Here are photos from 1961 and 2003. Function should be changed to movies (first run).
http://tinyurl.com/4z5tsb
Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/mf2odv
Has this closed? showtimes for this cinema are nowhere to be found.
Yes it is closed, and the building is for sale. I hope that it saved.
Still closed as of April 19, 2016. The building was purchased in late 2015 with the intent of making it into a live performance venue but no word since as to what, if anything, has been done to the theatre.
1/27/48 photo added via Steve Larrick.
Website with renovation plans, but undated.
https://thedesmoinestheater.org/index.php/renovation-plans/