Portland’s Hollywood Theatre just hit triple digits, and it did not celebrate quietly. The historic movie palace marked its 100th birthday on Thursday with a weeklong centennial festival that packed in rare film prints, live organ music and full-house crowds. The nonprofit theater framed the milestone under its “Hollywood 100” banner, mixing archival screenings, 70mm presentations and special events, then capped it all off by recreating the original 1926 opening-night program.
Hollywood 100 Festival Highlights
The “Hollywood 100 Festival” rounded up classic titles, hard-to-find archival prints and live events, including a recreation of the theater’s 1926 opening bill. That program featured a 35mm print of More Pay, Less Work, accompanied in real time on the theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ. According to Hollywood Theatre, the lineup ran the gamut from 70mm engagements to rare 35mm nights and member-only shows. The Columbia River Theatre Organ Society noted that organist Dean Lemire performed his own original score for the silent feature as a fundraiser for the Wurlitzer, with the print supplied by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.
A Century In The Neighborhood
When the Hollywood Theatre first opened on July 17, 1926, it was a single-auditorium movie palace and a local landmark almost from day one. The surrounding commercial corridor eventually adopted the Hollywood name, turning the building into both a cinema and a neighborhood anchor. Over the decades it has been reworked repeatedly, including a major 1960s renovation that helped it weather the rise of suburban multiplexes. Today it operates as a nonprofit repertory house at 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard. As reported by KATU, the centennial week is one of several anniversary programs the theater has scheduled across 2026.
Voices From The Theater
For staff and regulars, the return to silent film with live accompaniment was not just a stunt, it was a statement about why the place still matters. “The whole audience got to hear this beautiful piece of music that he had written for his family. So we're still keeping that tradition alive,” said Christen Zatz-Gilman, deputy director of the Hollywood Theatre, reflecting on the screening. The comment, given after the show and reported by KATU, underlines the theater’s ongoing commitment to preserving live film practices.
Plans For A Film District
The centennial is also serving as a springboard for a bigger neighborhood play. The Hollywood is pushing a “Hollywood Film District” effort that would tie together the theater, the Movie Madness archive and new screening spaces into a dedicated destination for film lovers along Sandy Boulevard. A presentation to city officials lays out the campaign and district strategy, according to Portland.gov, and Council budget documents show recent arts allocations that include support for the theater, per Portland.gov. Local coverage has also followed Movie Madness’s planned move across Sandy as part of the buildout, with details in Movie Madness’s planned move.
Why The Centennial Matters
Beyond the birthday cake vibes, the Hollywood’s centennial underscores Portland’s deep bench of repertory and independent cinema, and the theater’s role as a nonprofit hub for both programming and preservation. As OPB reported earlier this year, the theater’s yearlong slate and partnerships are designed to keep physical film culture alive in a streaming-first era. For programmers and audiences alike, the Wurlitzer fundraisers and 70mm return nights function as both a celebration of what the Hollywood has built and a live test of how repertory venues can continue to pull people off the couch and into a theater.
Shows continue through Thursday’s anniversary night, and the theater is posting tickets and schedules for the remaining “Hollywood 100” events on its website, according to Hollywood Theatre. For longtime members and curious first-timers, the centennial is doubling as a look back at a century of moviegoing spectacle and a preview of the neighborhood’s ambitions for the next hundred years of film on Sandy Boulevard.
