Egyptian Theatre
Built in 1925 in the Egyptian Revival style that swept American popular architecture after the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the Egyptian Theatre on Broadway in Coos Bay is one of the best-preserved small-city Egyptian Revival theaters in the Pacific Northwest and the cultural anchor of Oregon’s largest coastal city.
At a glance
The Egyptian Theatre at 229 S Broadway in Coos Bay, Oregon opened in 1925 and applied the Egyptian Revival vocabulary — then at the height of its popularity following the worldwide Tutankhamun media frenzy — to a coastal Oregon timber town theater. The result is one of the region’s most intact surviving examples of the style: a facade with Egyptian-motif ornament, lotus column capitals, and polychrome decoration that distinguishes the theater immediately from the surrounding commercial streetscape. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Egyptian Theatre is operated as a community theater and event space by the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association.
Key facts
- Address: 229 S Broadway, Coos Bay, OR 97420
- Opened: 1925
- Style: Egyptian Revival / Art Deco
- Seating: approximately 600
- Listed: National Register of Historic Places
- Operator: Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association
- Current use: community events, film screenings, live performances
History
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter in November 1922 triggered a worldwide fascination with ancient Egypt that expressed itself in architecture, fashion, jewelry, and popular entertainment with remarkable speed. By 1925, the Egyptian Revival style had reached the timber and fishing towns of the Oregon coast: Coos Bay, then called Marshfield, was the main commercial and port center of the Coos Bay estuary and supported a population large enough to sustain an entertainment venue of the Egyptian Theatre’s ambition.
The theater opened as a first-run film house for the silent film era and transitioned to sound cinema as the technology arrived in the late 1920s. Through the studio system era the Egyptian served as Marshfield’s primary movie house. The city renamed itself Coos Bay in 1944, reflecting its geographic identity rather than the name of its founder. The theater operated through the mid-twentieth century before eventually passing to community stewardship.
The Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association was formed to maintain the building and keep it in active use. The theater now hosts community film events, live performances, and private rentals, functioning as a community hub in a city that has navigated the economic transitions of the Pacific Northwest timber industry. The theater is recognized as one of the finest surviving examples of its type in the region.
What you see
The Egyptian Theatre’s Broadway facade is one of the most fully realized applications of the Egyptian Revival to a small American theater building. The facade features lotus bud column capitals flanking the central entry opening, winged sun disk motifs in the frieze, and polychrome painted ornament in blues, golds, and terracotta that reproduce the color conventions of ancient Egyptian temple decoration. The vertical marquee and blade sign above the entry carry the theater’s name in period lettering.
The auditorium interior continues the Egyptian theme with painted murals on the side walls, decorative ceiling panels with geometric and floral Egyptian motifs, and column capitals that echo the exterior treatment. The preservation work by the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association has maintained the visual integrity of both the exterior and interior, making the theater an unusually complete surviving example of its style.
Practical information
- Events: check the Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association for current programming
- Tours: the theater is accessible during events and by appointment
- Film screenings: classic and community film programs are presented regularly
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes for exterior and lobby; 2 hours for a film screening
Getting there
Coos Bay is on the southern Oregon coast, approximately 230 miles south of Portland via US 101 or Oregon Route 42. The nearest commercial airport is Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (OTH) at North Bend, approximately 5 miles north. The Egyptian Theatre is on South Broadway in downtown Coos Bay, walkable from most of the city center.
Nearby
- Coos History Museum — the regional history collection for Coos County at 1210 N Front Street, 10 minutes on foot north; logging, shipping, and Indigenous heritage of the Coos Bay estuary
- Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area — the largest coastal sand dune system in North America, extending 40 miles between Florence and Coos Bay; access points at Horsfall Beach, approximately 5 miles west
- Shore Acres State Park — a former estate with formal gardens and dramatic ocean viewpoints on the headlands 13 miles southwest via Cape Arago Highway
Sources
- Egyptian Theatre Preservation Association, Coos Bay
- National Register of Historic Places nomination, Egyptian Theatre
- Coos History Museum collections
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