Mount Baker Theatre closed for two months amid significant renovations
Bellingham’s Mount Baker Theatre is closed until mid-September as the facility undergoes several major renovations.
Over the next two months, the theater’s main stage and lobby area will be inaccessible to the public as crews upgrade the chandelier winches, replace carpeting and install new theater seating.
“After years of hearing from patrons about the need for more comfortable seating, MBT is excited to begin installing more than 1,517 brand-new seats,” MBT Marketing Director Lorin O’Grady said in an announcement about the renovations.
The existing seats, which were installed in 1993, will be removed and replaced with modern seating that is expected to increase accessibility, improve comfort and offer convenient cupholders “while preserving the theater’s historic character,” according to O’Grady.
“Over the past 33 years, MBT staff and volunteers have dedicated countless hours to extending the life of the second-hand seats through annual ‘squeaky seat patrols,’ routine maintenance, and even reupholstering the seats. Despite these efforts, the seats have reached the end of their lifespan, and replacement parts are no longer available,” O’Grady said.
Many of the old theater seats will be donated to local secondhand and thrift organizations including RE Store and the Reuse Innovation Center. Individuals interested in purchasing seats can reach out to those organizations directly.
The seat replacement project is one of several other upgrades in progress ahead of MBT’s centennial season, including the restoration of the historic Wurlitzer organ and upgrading the ticket kiosk. Individuals interested in donating to the Centennial Capital Campaign that supports these restoration projects can do so online at MBT’s website.
Donors who support the seat replacement project will receive a personalized nameplate on the armrest of one of the new seats.
The ticket office will remain open during the theater’s summer closure. Mount Baker Theatre is expected to reopen on Sept. 11, for Tower of Power, a celebration of funk and soul music. The audience for that show will be among the first to experience the new seats.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Mount Baker Theatre was built in 1927 and is the only survivor of the five original movie theaters built in Whatcom County between 1914 and 1930. The theater showcases performing arts and community-driven events.
