Ellensburg's 1940 Streamline Moderne Cinema, Now a Church
315 N Pine St, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
No public haunted access; building now serves as a church
Access
Limited Access
Paved downtown sidewalk
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1940 · Streamline Moderne Architecture · Historic Washington Cinema
The Liberty Theatre at 5th and Pine in Ellensburg, Washington opened in 1940, designed in the Streamline Moderne architectural style — a clean, geometric approach characterized by horizontal lines, curved corners, and the visual weight of industrial design. Architectural commentary on the building describes it as resembling the bridge of an ocean liner.
The theater operated under Midstate Amusement Corp. and served as a community cinema for nearly seven decades. In August 2009, Hallett Theatres sold the Liberty to the local Calvary Baptist Church. The church converted the building in 2010 and noted awareness of the Liberty's architectural value, indicating plans to remove the triplex walls that had been added during the theater's operational years and restore the original single-auditorium configuration.
A Library of Congress historic photograph of the Liberty Theatre building is archived under Item 2017708131, documenting the building's architectural significance.
Sources
The Liberty Theatre's paranormal reports emerged primarily from people with access to the building after hours — those present during evening cleanup and closing routines.
The sounds reported were specific to after-dark conditions: voices and screaming heard in the theater space after the public had left, and the bathroom doors opening and closing without visible cause. Witnesses described the activity as mischievous rather than distressing — the impression of a presence making itself known rather than acting aggressively.
The building's conversion to a church in 2010 may have changed the nature of activity in the space. No post-conversion reports have been found. The original theater configuration has been partially altered through the removal of triplex walls.
View the exterior of the Liberty Theatre at 5th and Pine in Ellensburg — a blocky 1940 Streamline Moderne building described as resembling the bridge of an ocean liner. The building operated as a movie theater until 2009, was converted to a church by Calvary Baptist in 2010, and is not open for general public paranormal exploration.
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