Central Area in Salem in Marion County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

Elsinore Theatre

1926

— Salem Downtown Historic District —

Elsinore Theatre Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

1. Elsinore Theatre Marker

Inscription. Built by George Guthrie, this theater opened on May 28, 1926, with the silent film “The Volga Boatman” by Cecil B. DeMille. The Elsinore was designed by architect Ellis Lawrence for both stage and film, and movies were often combined with vaudeville. Community donations funded a renovation in 2004 that restored its Tudor Gothic ornamentation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 28, 1926.

Location. 44° 56.336′ N, 123° 2.241′ W. Marker is in Salem, Oregon, in Marion County. It is in the Central Area. It is on High Street Southeast south of State Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 170 High Street SE, Salem OR 97301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Oregon Wine Country

and in the Willamette Valley.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast,

in the Pacific Northwest,

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

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Globally, it is in North America,

in the Cascade Range,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: John Hughes Company/New Salem Hotel Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Bligh Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Salem’s Chinatown (within shouting distance of this marker); Gray Belle Restaurant (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); McGilchrist Building (about 500 feet away); The Salvation Army (about 500 feet away); All Aboard! (about 500 feet away); The Grand Hotel (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Salem.

Also see . . .
1. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (1991). Statement of Significance:

Since its completion and opening by theater entrepreneur George B. Guthrie in 1926, the Tudor Gothic-style Elsinore has been a dominant feature near the busy intersection of High and State streets in downtown Salem, Oregon. It meets National Register Criterion C as an outstanding
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

2. Elsinore Theatre Marker
The marker reads:

The Elsinore Theatre
Placed on the National Register
of Historic Places
on June 17, 1994
Built 1926
example of atmospheric motion picture theater architecture and decoration in the state. The late 1920s

were years of transition from the heyday of silent films to the advent of sound tracks. In these years also, vaudeville had reached its pinnacle, and the Elsinore, like so many other theaters in towns and cities on the touring circuit, was equipped with performing facilities—an orchestra, stage, scenery flys, and dressing rooms. Though the Elsinore was not the only film and live performance theater in the capital city, it was unequivocally the leading site of motion picture entertainment in Salem through the Great Depression and Post-War period, and consequently, it meets National Register Criterion A. Not only is it the largest house in town, it is the second largest movie theater remaining in Oregon today, exceeded only by Portland's old Paramount, which has been converted to a performing arts center.

The 1926 Elsinore Theatre in Salem was the fulfillment of the dream of George B. Guthrie to create the best and finest theatre in the city. The design is the work of the distinguished Portland firm of Lawrence and Holford. Ellis
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

3. Elsinore Theatre
Markers are located at the front entrance to the theater, as seen in the photo.
F. Lawrence designed the facade, and Fred S. Allyn the interior. The beautiful interior decorations, including the murals, are intact but in need of restoration.

From the Ellis Lawrence Building Inventory by Demuth and Lakin, we hear this Significance Statement:

"...The [Elsinore] theatre is significant as the most intact example of 1920’s theatre design in Salem and the only example of a Gothic style theatre of this period within the state of Oregon. It is also significant as the only existing theatre design from the firm of Lawrence and Holford..."

(Submitted on October 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

2. Elsinore Theater.

Named after the sixteenth-century Danish castle in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Elsinore Theater in Salem, Oregon, opened for silent films and vaudeville shows on May 28, 1926. It was heralded as the “largest and most lavish theater between Portland and San Francisco.”

In the decades since attorney and art connoisseur George B. Guthrie constructed the building at High and State Streets, the Elsinore has been an integral part of the city’s cultural scene. Performers
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

4. Elsinore Theatre
have included John Philip Sousa, Clark Gable, Jack Benny, Bonnie Raitt, Gregory Peck, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones, and Itzak Perlman.

(Submitted on October 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Elsinore Theatre image. Click for full size.

Photographed by National Park Service, 1926

5. Elsinore Theatre

Photo taken not long after its grand opening in 1926.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 68 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.