Bob White Theatre
6423 S.E. Foster Road,
Portland,
OR
97206
6423 S.E. Foster Road,
Portland,
OR
97206
4 people
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The June 14, 1924 issue of Moving Picture World said that the Bob White Theatre, which had then been open for about six months, had been designed by Portland architect Lee Thomas. While the article does not mention Albert Mercier, he and Thomas were partners at this time, and collaborated on several other theater projects.
What a great site. I remember seeing “The Longest Day” here in 62-63'.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historic-Bob-White-Theatre/150923238345412
Here is some good info on what is planned,
The theatre has been purchased by a Portland businessman who is working on reopening it. I have the unique privilege of advising him. I believe it will be the beginning of revitalizing the Foster-Powell section of SE Portland.
I owned this theatre in the mid-sixties. It and I were written up in Boxoffice magazine because of the programming I initiated. It was all country music. The first picture was “Your Cheating Heart” with George Hamilton as Hank Williams. It packed the place out. I was also written up in the local IA paper for giving my union projectionist a raise without the union having to ask for it.
@DrBagelBuns:
I’m sorry, but Dale Haskin has been dead for more than a year. If the city records don’t reflect that, it’s probably just because the property is still in probate or something. People I’ve talked to told me that his daughter inherited it and has been trying to sell for quite a while — at least since March 2010.
The building is a great property, but apparently it needs a lot of work, including a new roof. As Alan Patterson said, the organ is supposedly not in good shape.
—JT
I was talking recently about the Bob White with an organ enthusiast friend. He said that the live-in owner died and that most if not all of the organ had weathered badly.. Call him, Stan Clarke,at 503-253-9886. Also, the for sale sign says contact Michael Tharp or Ross Connor at 503-223-7181. Hope this wil help.
I’ve been trying desperately to find out how to contact Dale M Haskin, who still owns the property according to the city of Portland. If anybody has any idea how I can get in touch with him I’d greatly appreciate the information.
The Bob White Theater was my neighborhood theater. I remember the flury of 3D movies seen there in 1953. Remember it being sold out for Disney’s The Vanishing Prairie with Bear Country. Around the corner,for just a few months beginning in 1912 was the Brownie Theater as shown in the book Theaters of Portland. Even today you can see the projection booth extension to the back of the building.
Wow. I am excited to see all the posts here. As someone who is looking very short term to purchase a movie theatre in Portland to re-open with a pretty grand plan, I like what I have heard about this theatre and may have to look into it more. I am currently pursuing the Eastgate with the intent to buy it back from the Russian Church. We’ll see.
I hope the projectionist didn’t have to share the toilet with the public.Surely,they had a restroom in the booth.
A unique aspect of the theatre was that the men’s rest room was right off the projection room, so movie-crazy kids like me could see the projection equipment and the reels turning.
Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yhtjsn6
Haskin has indeed passed away. He never finished restoring or installing the organ. The organ is still in the building (3-16-2010). Apparently someone is trying to raise money to create a foundation to save and restore the building.
I got this information from Tom D'Antoni, a music journalist in Portland, about it. He did a video on Organs in Portland that you can view on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trkMAr9DIeU) and who runs Oregon Music News (http://oregonmusicnews.com/). Apparently he spoke on the phone to the current owner, Haskin’s daughter.
I would watch his web page for future updates — he says he’s going to write a story about it.
—JT
Actually, I just went to the www.pstos.org website and found out that the original Bob White Theater instrument was a 2/6 Robert Morton. This is according to the article found at View link This was the instrument that was moved to St. Patrick’s in NW Portland.
Dale Haskin acquired the Bob White Theater in 1990. According to the article found at View link Dale Haskin was attempting to install a 4/22 Robert Morton. Does anybody know what happened to this instrument?
So then it was the Arleta Theater that later became the Bob White Theater. Correct?
Is this the organ that was originally installed in the Bob White Theater?
What ever happened to the organ, or organs, that were housed there? Did either the Columbia River Organ Club, or the Puget Sound Theater Organ Society, manage to acquire them?
Dale Haskin has passed away. This theatre is on the market right now. The original interior was gutted. I think it could be restored though with a lot of effort and cash though.
Does Dale Hasking still have that huge Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ installed in the old Bob White Theater building? I haven’t lived in Portland for several years now, and I am rather curious.
The local chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society thought they were going to win the bidding, but they were trumped at the last second by some stranger, and the organ was his.
He had the organ shipped to Portland, and eventually the organ ended up in the Bob White building where this man lived in an upstairs apartment. A few other organs and various parts ended up there, too. The city of Portland has been trying for years to get this man out of there (Bob White building not zoned as a residence) for years, and news practically never gets out about this situation. The condition of the theatre, the organs, etc. are known by few if any people.
This theatre is now the home of one of the great mysteries of the theatre-organ world. Long story coming…
For me, this starts in the SF Bay Area, back around 1980. The fabulous Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco had been remodeled, and their large 4-manual theatre organ had been donated a few years earlier to a nearby school district for installation in their high school. This, unfortunately, never happened and the organ was put up for auction.
To be continued in next post…
The Bob White Theatre is located at 6423 SE Foster Road, and it seated 740 people.