| When
Paul Doyle first saw the exterior of a vacant Mason’s
Lodge in Columbia City in November 2002, he couldn’t
get it out of his mind. Even so, it took months before
he ever stepped through the doors. Inside, he encountered
a space free of carpet and paint, but full of musty odors
and standing water. “It was like opening King Tut’s
tomb,” remembers Doyle. It was also, he realized,
a perfect place for a movie theater.
And so the dream of the Columbia City Cinema began to
stir.
Of course, like any taut thriller, the road from first
sighting to first showing was chock full of twists and
turns, most concerning money. When Doyle found himself
close to losing the property, local developers found financial
backers that helped him raise the curtain in May 2004.
Since then, Doyle says community support of the theater
— one of two independents in Seattle — has
been wonderful. In return, he’s started “Cinema
Friends,” a nonprofit where cineastes can purchase
“movie mogul” memberships, ensuring the cinema
doesn’t go dark.
Says Doyle of the 204-seat single screen theater: “People
love this place.”
—Rosette Royale |
