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Curtain falls on Northgate Theater
Megaplex era dooms one of the nation's first mall cinemas
Friday, February 22, 2002
By MARNI LEFF
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
The Northgate Theater, which opened in 1951 and was one of the country's first mall cinemas, closed last night, a spokesman for Loews Cineplex Entertainment, the bankrupt movie chain that operates the theater, confirmed yesterday.
With its single screen and more than 1,000 seats, the theater was a relic of another time and place, said Angela Forest, marketing director for Northgate Mall.
"It's kind of the death of an era," she said. "Everyone has moved on to megaplexes."
Simon Property Group Inc., which owns Northgate Mall, wouldn't comment on plans for the property.
The theater has deteriorated in recent years and acquired a bad name, Forest said.
"It kind of got a reputation for broken equipment, broken seats and for being poorly maintained," she said. "I don't feel that it was a big draw for the public."
At one point, Indianapolis-based Simon had plans for the mall that included a four-phase, 15-year expansion and the addition of a 30-screen movie complex, two apartment towers, a hotel and offices.
That project has been delayed, in part because of controversy surrounding a creek that runs beneath the mall's parking lot.
Billie Scott, a Simon spokeswoman, said the theater occupies prime real estate and finding a new tenant is a priority.
She wouldn't say how long she expects it will take to find a new occupant.
Loews, which is in bankruptcy, has closed more than 100 theaters, including a 1,200-seat, single-screen theater at Southcenter Mall and the Loews City Centre and Tacoma Central theaters, according to Mindy Tucker, a company spokeswoman. It continues to operate 12 theaters in the state, including Meridian 16 Cinemas in downtown Seattle.
"We are in Chapter 11 and have reviewed and continue to review all the theaters in our portfolio," Tucker said. "Unfortunately, this is one we felt would not stand the test of time. Certainly it's an older theater and it's a single screen, and we didn't feel like it was serving the market."
P-I reporter Marni Leff can be reached at 206-448-8142 or marnileff@seattlepi.com
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