The Egyptian Theatre first opened its doors in 1925. A century later, this theater in Coos Bay remains one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks — not just for its architecture, but for the role it continues to play in the community.
Built during the height of the “Egyptian Revival” movement that swept the country after the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, the theater was designed to feel grand and transportive. Hundreds of these theaters were built in the 1920s but only a handful survive.
“Everybody in town knows what the Egyptian is,” said Jeremy Conway, the theater’s volunteer technical coordinator. “It’s fun to listen to people talk about their first memory in the Egyptian,” he said of the building that has been the host of movies, live shows, and organ music on its Wurlitzer organ—the only one in Oregon still in its original location—for over a hundred years. The only reason it’s open today is thanks to tireless efforts to get the building up to code and keep it running.
The theater was neglected over several decades of ownership between the 1980s to the early 2000s, when Coos Bay citizens convinced the city’s Urban Renewal Agency to purchase the building and let it be managed by a nonprofit Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association. Repair of major structural issues closed the theater between 2011 and 2014 but it’s been up and running since. Now the Preservation Association is hoping to update the rigging system to allow them to host more live events.
The theater’s operating budget heavily relies on rentals, said Conway, and they’ve had to turn down events they couldn’t safely host in recent years. A grant from the Roundhouse Foundation is going toward this renovation plan.
Without the Egyptian, Conway said, there aren’t a lot of venues in the area. Many residents in the region face economic and transportation barriers and the theater’s location makes it possible for them to see live events. The Egyptian partners with local schools and arts organizations on events for the community, by the community.
The historic value of this theater is hard to overstate. The décor, plasterwork, and decorations of the Egyptian are all original. They even have four sets of original painted backdrops from 1925 they use for different shows. The restoration of the Wurlitzer organ was largely due to the work of Paul Quarino, a volunteer who spent 44 years fixing and playing the instrument.
The theater’s existence shows the value of the Egyptian to the local community and the many volunteers who have worked so hard to keep it running and bring it into the twenty-first century.
