The Academy Theater

The Academy Theater is one of a myriad of Portland’s vintage neighborhood movie houses that survived the seventies and eighties – like I did.  Opening in 1948 The Academy Theater 

was a centerpiece of the working class Montavilla neighborhood for over twenty five years.  Advancements in television technology and programing shifted America’s entertainment choices - the Academy closed in the seventies.  Many other neighborhood theaters fell into disrepair or became adult film “curators” during this period.  When neighborhoods started coming back – old theaters (still in existence)  came back too.   

Restorers of the Academy Theater share their labor of love here: Renovation Process Neighbors include the iconic Flying Pie Pizza, The Country Cat,  Roscoes and Redwood  Beer Bunker and Thatchers are pretty fun too and there is more.  I think neighborhood theaters have always reflected their neighborhoods which is why I highly recommend a visit to Montavilla and the Academy Theater. 

Acrylic medium on canvas 16" x 20"