Music Box Theatre
902 Broadway,
Tacoma,
WA
98402
902 Broadway,
Tacoma,
WA
98402
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Additional Info
Styles: Tudor Revival
Previous Names: Tacoma Theater, Broadway Theater
Nearby Theaters
Tacoma’s grand opera house, the Tacoma Theater, was built in 1889 by the Tacoma Opera House Company and opened Jan. 13, 1890. The elaborate Tudor-style building covered a full city block.
A 3 manual, 14 ranks Robert Morton theatre pipe organ was installed in the 1920’s.
It was remodeled for motion pictures and renamed the Broadway Theater in 1927. More than 20,000 people attended the grand opening on February 4, 1927.
It was renamed the Music Box Theatre on February 11, 1933. The building was destroyed in a spectacular fire on April 30, 1963. About 100 people were attending a showing of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” when the fire broke out.
While a movie theater, the Broadway/Music Box Theatre attracted big name stars like Ronald Reagan, Lassie, the Barrymores, Al Jolson, and many more.
Contributed by
Kate
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Here are links to scans of my grandmother’s program from The Tacoma when she saw Anna Pavlowa’s farewell performance there in the 1920s.
View link
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Great additional photos! Thanks for the link. So nice to see where my Gram was for a performance she never forgot and always talked about.
Nice picture of the fire,I like the name Music Box Theatre.
The Pantages and Rialto in Tacoma are still active theatres as is the Blue Mouse.
1925 stage photo courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library.
http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/images/dt6n.asp?un=1&pg=1&krequest=a670&stemming=On&phonic=&fuzzy=&maxfiles=5000
Here are some additional photos of the old theater, specifically in regard to the 3/14 Robert Morton pipe organ.
Music Box (a/k/a Tacoma, Broadway) Theatre Broadway & 9th, Tacoma, Washington Organ installation timeframe: 1920s – 1963
Link to photos here: http://www.pstos.org/instruments/wa/tacoma/music-box.htm
1959 night photo added courtesy Ken Widmeyer.
1890 grand opening ad posted
Renamed Music on February 11th, 1933. Another ad posted.
1963 fire
Music Box theatre burns 01 May 1963, Wed The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington) Newspapers.com