9
BEHIND THE SCENES
FROM THE
COVER
that you were in a historic the-
ater because eight feet above
your head was a regular com-
mercial celling,” O’Toole said.
“You had no idea that above
it was a chandelier that was
100 years old. All of that was
sealed off from public access
from 1959.”
The chandelier was re-lit in
January of this year for the fi rst
time since 1959.
O’Toole said the goal for the
Liberty is to bring it back to its
era of “historical signifi cance,”
somewhere in the 1930-40s.
The theater will include capabil-
ity for live music, theater and
cinema screenings.
“When this thing was turned
from a theater to a commercial
space, there was a lot of de-
molition that took place. All the
walls and bathroom and stair-
wells was just gone, destroyed
forever,” O’Toole said. “We are
at a point now where we are just
about done framing all of that
back in. That includes the audi-
torium fl oor.”
In addition to restoring the
look of the classic theater,
the project will install modern
amenities, including an ADA
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bathroom and seating, and a
larger lobby.
The current timeline for
completion of the Liberty de-
pends on funding. O’Toole said
costs of materials has delayed
the project and they are back in
fundraising mode. The goal is to
raise $250,000 by July 1 in or-
der to have the theater partially
open in time for the Eastern
Oregon Film Festival this fall.
For information, visit libertyon-
adams.org.
unusual history, the restoration
on the Gem Theatre includes not
only the theater spaces (includ-
ing balcony, cry room, stage, and
308 seats from 1906 to 1938)
but also the former Star Saloon
that will serve as the foyer and
concession area for the theater.
Current renovation projects
including installing a historic ma-
hogany front bar in Star Saloon
and installing drywall. For infor-
mation, visit gemtheatre.org.
THE RIVOLI, PENDLETON
THE GEM THEATRE,
ATHENA
Now solidly in its renovation,
the Gem Theatre in Athena has
housed a saloon, restaurant, dry
goods store, and, in 1909, The
Dime Theater, a “moving pic-
ture house.” The Gem Theatre
opened under that name in 1938
with art deco seating on the
main fl oor, an enlarged stage,
and even a “cry room” for moth-
ers and small children. The Gem
Theatre operated until 1968.
In 2004, the building was
donated to the city of Athena
to be renovated as a regional
theater and performing arts
facility. Because of the building’s
On Pendleton’s Main Street,
the Rivoli’s marquee was once
one of the most recognizable
features in downtown Pendle-
ton. Rivoli Coalition President
Andrew Picken hopes it will
be again.
The Rivoli Theater opened
in 1921 and off ered movies,
vaudeville shows and small
theater productions for most
of the 20th century. Picken said
the theater closed its doors in
the mid-1980s after a series
of unfortunate remodels and
renovations and then sat vacant
for the next two decades.
In 2011, the Rivoli Coalition
began the long process of plan-
541 - 350 - 3448
ning and re-creating the theater.
Studies, designs, and demolition
have already taken place, and
the project was recently award-
ed $1.5 million from the Oregon
Legislature to help it move for-
ward with the coalition’s goals of
creating a community space.
Unlike many of the theater
projects, the Rivoli plan calls
for a multi-use theater with a
fl at fl oor seating area. Picken
said that arrangement allows
for movable theater seating
but also tables and chairs.
When open, the Rivoli could
be a venue for dinner theater
and dances.
“If we build a perfect building
but no one comes, we have ut-
terly failed,” he said. “I think it’s
very important for communities
to have gathering places that
are welcoming and sort of con-
sistently comfortable for people
across race, religion, socioeco-
nomic status. If we can continue
to develop a place like that in
Pendleton that is also economi-
cally sustainable and good for
the community, then I will feel
like we have succeeded.”
For updates, visit rivoli-the-
ater.com.
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