Ellensburg's 1940 Streamline Moderne Cinema, Now a Church
315 N Pine St, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Research updated May 2026
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.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Redlands, CA
The Redlands Fox Theatre was built in 1927 and opened December 28, 1928, as a 1,505-seat Mission Revival picture house designed by Lewis A. Smith for the West Coast Theatres chain. After West Coast merged with Fox Theatres in 1929 it became the Fox West Coast Redlands. The building reopened in 2009 as the Fox Event Center.
Seattle, WA
Built in 1907 by Seattle real-estate developer James A. Moore and designed by E.W. Houghton, the Moore opened on December 28, 1907, with 2,436 seats — the largest theater in the city at the time. It is Seattle's oldest still-operating theater and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Today it is operated as a live-performance venue by the non-profit Seattle Theatre Group.
Seattle, WA
The Neptune opened November 16, 1921 as a 1,000-seat movie palace in Seattle's University District. Designed by Kentucky-born architect Henderson Ryan with a King Neptune nautical motif, it was originally operated by the Puritan Theatre Company. After decades under various operators including Landmark Theatres (1981-2010), Seattle Theatre Group acquired and renovated it in 2011 as a live-performance venue.