Cultural Engineering Projects
Elsinore Theater
Salem, CA In 1926, the Elsinore
Theatre started life as the “largest and
most lavish theatre between Portland and San
Francisco”, hosting vaudeville-style stage
shows and silent films. Seating 1,200 people,
this fabulous structure, designed to resemble
the castle in Hamlet, enjoyed many years in
the limelight. Then, in 1980, the theatre hit
a low point when the city of Salem thought to
turn this single-use, decaying property into
a downtown parking lot.
Theatre lovers rose to the occasion, raising
the needed funds to launch a bumpy ride toward
on-again, off-again restoration. Finally, in
2002 $3.2 million was earmarked for a 3-Act
restoration project, scheduled over three years
during summer respites from the shows, and completing
in 2004. Interface designed the HVAC system
with a complete remodel, and some electrical,
plumbing and lighting upgrades. Curry Brandaw,
a local architectural firm that donates a portion
of its business to nonprofit organizations,
acted as architect and general contractor
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