Opened April 29, 1927 in Moorish-Spanish Revival style designed by Robert Reamer, the 1,517-seat Bellingham theater is said to be haunted by Judy — whose home was demolished to build it — and at least three other reported spirits.
104 N Commercial St, Bellingham, WA 98225
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Ticketed performances; lobby viewable during box office hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Main floor accessible; balcony and mezzanine via stairs.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1927 · Opened April 29, 1927, designed by Robert Reamer in Moorish-Spanish Revival style · Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #78002786) · Largest performing-arts facility north of Seattle · City of Bellingham-owned, operated by nonprofit Mount Baker Theatre organization
Construction of the Mount Baker Theatre began in the fall of 1926 on a site in downtown Bellingham where residential structures had been cleared. The theater was commissioned by Pacific Northwest Theaters Inc., which operated 36 movie palaces across the region, and designed by Robert Reamer — an architect also responsible for Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. The Moorish-Spanish Revival style was deliberate: the building was intended to transport patrons into an exotic architectural world, a common strategy among movie-palace builders of the 1920s.
The theater opened April 29, 1927, with a Style 215 Wurlitzer pipe organ installed at a cost of $20,000 (roughly $370,000 in current dollars). On November 8, 1931, theater manager Art Hile and cashier Olive Keener were robbed at gunpoint while transferring $800 in box office receipts — described at the time as one of the largest robberies in Bellingham's history. The theater survived the Depression, the transition from silent to sound film, and multiple ownership changes to become a fixture in the city's cultural life.
The city of Bellingham owns the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #78002786). The nonprofit Mount Baker Theatre organization manages programming and operations. The 1,517-seat venue hosts touring Broadway productions, national music acts, and community performances, and is described as the largest performing-arts facility north of Seattle.
Sources
Per Wikipedia's documentation of the theater and reporting by Metal Insider and Seattle Terrors, the theater's primary haunting story centers on a corridor connecting the balcony to the mezzanine — a passageway reported as the site of unexplained activity since at least the 1970s. The figure associated with this corridor is called Judy, and two competing origin stories circulate: that she lost her home when the construction site was cleared in 1926, or that she was a construction worker's daughter who died in a building accident. Neither version has been verified in newspaper archives.
Staff accounts describe Judy as developing persistent attachments to specific male employees — projectionists and ushers in particular — and following them through the building. In August 2010, investigators from Syfy's Ghost Hunters program conducted an overnight session at the theater, which brought the ghost stories regional attention.
Three additional named spirits appear in staff accounts: Geoffrey, described as a man in a pinstriped suit who appears in the auditorium; Michael Chervenock, identified as a theater employee from the late 1970s who died in 1992 and is said to remain on the premises; and an unspecified cat spirit reported in the basement. The theater's management acknowledges the reputation without promoting it as a programmed experience.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Attend a concert, touring Broadway production, comedy show, or community event in the 1927 Moorish-Spanish Revival auditorium. The corridor between balcony and mezzanine — where Judy is said to walk — is traversed by audience members.
View the 1927 Moorish-Spanish Revival facade from Commercial Street in downtown Bellingham.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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