The Bob White Theatre
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The Bob White Theatre in 1924.
Photograph: courtesy Nick Haas.
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Address
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6512 Foster Boulevard
(modern address, 6324 SE Foster Road)
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Opening Night Seating Capacity
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712
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Original Theatre Owner
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Bob White
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Original Theatre Architect
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Lee Arden Thomas
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Years of Operation
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Opened March 1924
Operated from 1924 thorugh 1985 / 2013?
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Type of Musical Accompaniment
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Robert Morton 2/6 theatre pipe organ (1924 through unknown)
Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ
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Current Status
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Multiuse venue
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The Bob White Theatre was a neighborhood theatre in the Arleta neighborhood of southeast Portland. The theatre presented its first full-sound film in January 1930.
Portland’s street numbering changed in 1933.
In the early 1960s, the theatre was still in operation under the Bob White name. The theatre went dark early in the 1970s, briefly being revived as Asian chop-socky house in the mid to late 1970s. Later, Spanish-language films were presented. The marquee of the Bob White was utilized for the cover photograph of a locally-produced record album by Johnny and the Hurricanes in the 1980s. In 1985, the theatre was renamed the Arleta Theatre but closed later that year.
In later years, the building was the personal residence of a theatre pipe organ enthusiast and the building was closed to the public. The building was purchased for renovation by Nick Storie in 2012.
References: FilmYearBook-1926 p. 568 : Cinema Treasures website; Oregon Historical Society website : with additional information provided by Nick Haas.
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