3 thoughts on “Seattle Explorer Quiz #1 – In 1907 On What Avenue was the 3rd Avenue Theatre?”
Is this like “what year was the battle of 1812 fought?” Without doing research with other photos, I’d say this actually looks as though it might be looking north on Second, but I see a church at right, and weren’t most of the churches on Third? So I guess the 3rd Avenue Theatre was probably on Third, but I’m not sure that’s my final answer.
Your intuitions are swell Matt. Yup. That is the old Methodist Protestant Church at the southeast corner of 3rd and Pine, which the congregation abandoned for a new stone sanctuary up on Capitol Hill’s 16th Ave. (near John, and now – ten years ago at least the last time I visited it – an architect’s office) when the upheaval of the Denny Regrade between Pike and Pine lowered the street and put their church on story higher towards heaven. When the successful 3rd Ave. theatre at the northeast corner of Madison and 3rd was razed for the 1906 regrade there, the bookers moved to the by then free church at Pine and 3rd and continued presenting their vaudeville acts in the old chancel – for a while. And they got to keep the name without confusion. Matt I have a personal foundation in this congregation. When it abandoned the church on 16th to join with another Cap. Hill congregation (They were a ordinary liberal Christian church not a modern super-church-ask-Jesus-for-a-motocycle-or-swimming pool congregation.) I happened upon their “garage sale” and purchased their rehearsal piano (for 50 bucks – plus 100 to move it) and two chancel chairs. Very good wood and Gothic carving to fit the architecture of their 16th ave. church. (Heck, perhaps they came from their also Gothic revival sanctuary at 3rd and Pine. I don’t know.) I use those heavy chairs every day around our glass table (not stained).
Good buy, Paul (and hello again)! Though we are whelmed over by our material possessions these days, there are too few things in our lives, say I, that we can touch and in touching touch a past that we can recount and resurrect, and that is because most things are built, unlike your chairs, to last a few months instead of many decades or a century. Some may disagree and be glad that the world is not more full of solid Gothic chairs. It is a good thing you happened by.
Is this like “what year was the battle of 1812 fought?” Without doing research with other photos, I’d say this actually looks as though it might be looking north on Second, but I see a church at right, and weren’t most of the churches on Third? So I guess the 3rd Avenue Theatre was probably on Third, but I’m not sure that’s my final answer.
Your intuitions are swell Matt. Yup. That is the old Methodist Protestant Church at the southeast corner of 3rd and Pine, which the congregation abandoned for a new stone sanctuary up on Capitol Hill’s 16th Ave. (near John, and now – ten years ago at least the last time I visited it – an architect’s office) when the upheaval of the Denny Regrade between Pike and Pine lowered the street and put their church on story higher towards heaven. When the successful 3rd Ave. theatre at the northeast corner of Madison and 3rd was razed for the 1906 regrade there, the bookers moved to the by then free church at Pine and 3rd and continued presenting their vaudeville acts in the old chancel – for a while. And they got to keep the name without confusion. Matt I have a personal foundation in this congregation. When it abandoned the church on 16th to join with another Cap. Hill congregation (They were a ordinary liberal Christian church not a modern super-church-ask-Jesus-for-a-motocycle-or-swimming pool congregation.) I happened upon their “garage sale” and purchased their rehearsal piano (for 50 bucks – plus 100 to move it) and two chancel chairs. Very good wood and Gothic carving to fit the architecture of their 16th ave. church. (Heck, perhaps they came from their also Gothic revival sanctuary at 3rd and Pine. I don’t know.) I use those heavy chairs every day around our glass table (not stained).
Good buy, Paul (and hello again)! Though we are whelmed over by our material possessions these days, there are too few things in our lives, say I, that we can touch and in touching touch a past that we can recount and resurrect, and that is because most things are built, unlike your chairs, to last a few months instead of many decades or a century. Some may disagree and be glad that the world is not more full of solid Gothic chairs. It is a good thing you happened by.