Weir Theatre

204 E. Heron Street,
Aberdeen, WA 98520

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on April 24, 2022 at 1:10 am

The April 1, 1937 issue of Film Daily said that the Evergreen States circuit had acquired the Weir and D & R theaters in Aberdeen and the Seventh Avenue Theatre in Hoquiam.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on October 8, 2013 at 8:03 pm

The December 10, 1915, issue of the Aberdeen Herald had this brief item: “Chandler & Ripley, of the Western Circuit Amusement Company, have mortgaged their interests in the Bijou, Rex, and Starland Theaters, to the Aberdeen State Bank for $1,000.” There was an ad for the Weir Theatre on the same page, so both it and the Rex were operating at the same time.

I’ve found no advertising for the Rex in the Herald, nor for the Starland, nor any other mentions of either house. However, there are a few ads for the a movie house called the Dream Theatre, located on Heron Street, from May, 1911, to November, 1915.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on October 8, 2013 at 5:49 pm

The March 4, 1913, issue of the Aberdeen Herald reported that the new Weir Theatre had opened the previous night. The program featured several vaudeville acts and two moving pictures.

Weir was the maiden name of the wife of the theater’s owner and operator, Edward Dolan.

TivFan
TivFan on January 21, 2013 at 11:09 pm

There are a number of photos of the Weir Theatre on the Jones Photo website mentioned above. Looking at the photos, the Weir and the Rex were two separate theaters and even existed at the same time. The current Google view shows the Weir demolished and the building next door (with the arched upper windows) still existing. The buildings to the right of this, have been demolished. This would have included the building housing the Rex.

maggieflinn
maggieflinn on July 22, 2012 at 4:32 pm

The Weir Cafe (located 3 doors down, west from Mac’s Cigar Store) operated in Aberdeen, back in the mid 80s. I must have drove the McCann family, who owned the cafe nuts playing it the same song over and over. They were very kind to me and allowed me to see the old Weir theater that had been closed off in the back. The McCann’s and the Hick’s boys owned the majority of the block and let me explore and learn much of the history of the buildings first hand. All the buildings are long gone except for Mac’s Cigar Store. As far as Mac’s goes, most of the people I spent the 80s with are long gone also. RIP: Mike Hicks, Gil Flinn, Rick Collins, Hank Woon, Richard Townsend, Gene the Machine and all the old time Pan players. Each and everyone thought to be such hardcore gamblers and roughnecks were very kind and sensitive to me. It was an angel mural on each side on the coved ceiling still intact although the rest of the ceiling was peeling off. Most of the seating was pulled from the floor and scattered about. It was dangerous and I was so grateful to have seen it before it was gone.

KenLayton
KenLayton on August 22, 2011 at 12:32 pm

There is a parking lot now where the Weir Theater used to stand.

KenLayton
KenLayton on August 3, 2011 at 10:19 am

Opened in 1906 and closed in 1945. Address given at the time was 204 East Heron Street.

Ron Carlson
Ron Carlson on July 25, 2010 at 6:20 pm

The photo’s for the Weir & Rex listed on the PSTOS site clearly show 2 different buildings. I was in the Weir and it was definatly the brick building with the crown on the roof line. It was next to the Masonic building (Later Browers dress shop). The Rex was next to the Weir more at mid block. At least that is what the photo’s show.

Ron Carlson
Ron Carlson on July 4, 2007 at 11:29 pm

There are a few photo’s of this theater at www.jonesphotocollection.com be shur to search using different spellings for “theater” and “theatre” as they may not all pull up at once.

Ron Carlson
Ron Carlson on July 3, 2007 at 7:48 pm

The weir was closed by 1953 so it wouldn’t be in the guide for that year. This theater was originaly owned and opperated by D&R Theatre’s Inc. when they were still under the family control of Ed Dolan. I believe that all D&R Theatre’s were affiliated with Fox both for the films they booked and later after the company was sold and managed by Fox west Coast ie; Evergreen State. The Weir was permanantly closed by the Dolan family mainly because it was the oldest theater in their chain (1916 I think) and it needed major work. It was very old fashioned even for the 1940’s. By the time it was decided to close the theatre the thought was to drive the business to the over the the newly remodeled D&R theatre only half a block away. The Weir had very old electrical systems and equipment that all needed to be replaced. And the building was brick but the interior was built of wood and a fire trap. The D&R had just recieved a major remodel that made the theatre esentially brand new so their was no ecconomic sence to keep the Weir open.

KenLayton
KenLayton on October 15, 2005 at 6:27 am

Hmm…. my 1953 theater guide shows the D&R and the Seventh Street theaters being operated by Evergreen, but not the Weir.

William
William on October 15, 2005 at 6:14 am

The Weir Theatre was part of the Fox West Coast Theatres chain’s subsidiaries Evergreen State Amusement Corp. along with the D & R Theatre.

KenLayton
KenLayton on October 11, 2005 at 5:38 pm

As I mentioned in the above post, the Daily World newspaper (Aberdeen, Wash.) had some interior photos in a story they did when the theater was torn down.

ghamilton
ghamilton on October 11, 2005 at 3:37 pm

Are there any pictures of this theater?

KenLayton
KenLayton on May 14, 2005 at 10:37 pm

I agree this was a real treasure that’s now lost to the ages.

Ron Carlson
Ron Carlson on May 14, 2005 at 6:24 pm

I was in the Weir Theater in the late 1970’s or very early 80"s when the theater was owned by Pat Pearson, at that time the auditorium was intact. She had tried to open the Weir for live performances only to be closed by the city who stated the building was not up to safety codes. I remember that there was a large steep balcony with box seats. There were also private boxes on the orchestra floor as well. The stage floor was also raked, (sloped tword the audience).
According to Mrs. Pearson the University of Washington had told her that this was the only theater still standing in Washington that they knew of with that kind of a stage floor. The walls were painted to resemble stone and their were floral decorations also painted on the walls. Above the procienium arch on the cieling was a large mural. I think it was of a woman or angel. The main cieling had 5 light fixtures, 1 large central fixture and 4 smaller ones. At the time I was in the Weir the seats were still in place but the stage equipment and drapery was long gone. All projection equipment was also gone. The place was in pretty run down condition as the theater was closed by D&R Theaters Inc around 1945. The lobby and entrance was remodeled into retail space, and the auditorium was sealed up and left to sit. One interesting find, when Mrs. Pearson pulled up the old moth eaton isle carpet on the orchestra floor, the pad were stacks of paper. Most of the paper went to the dump until one of the people helping her unfolded one of the pieces only to discover that these paper sheets were full color silent film posters. She saved the ramaining posters. With some good financing this could have been a real historic masterpiece.

teecee
teecee on May 13, 2005 at 7:53 am

Old exterior photos:
View link

KenLayton
KenLayton on May 12, 2005 at 10:33 pm

Sadly, the Weir Theater was torn down around the middle of 2003. The city condemned it when the roof leaked and started falling in. The Daily World (Aberdeed, Wash.) newspaper had pictures of the interior of this little gem.