Quaint and charming, this gem is one of 2 theaters in Port Townsend, located just off Water Street in the heart of the Victorian downtown area. As you pass, you are drawn in by the wonderful posters in the widows, sweet little box office, and the aroma of fresh popcorn, made the old fashioned way and served with real butter.
Originally opened in 1907 with vaudeville shows and live musical productions, it moved to it's current location in 1908 and began showing the latest innovation, moving pictures.
In 1958 the Rose closed and would not re-open again until 1992 under the ownership of Rocky Friedman, a nice guy with a dream and a love of movies. (Financed by local citizens, who also helped with the painting of the building). Rocky added the smaller cozy theater called the Rosebud, which fills up quickly with a popular movie. The movies begin with a short talk about the film and a request to clean up after ourselves. On Mondays there is a door prize for some lucky winner just for coming.
Rocky studied film making in Southern California and moved back to the Northwest with the hopes of becoming a screenwriter. Rocky and The Rose are devoted to bringing art to Port Townsend in the form of good movies. A big part of the Port Townsend Film Festival, it also hosts a lecture series called School of Athens Lectures, with subjects such as Archeology, Nature Photography, and Symbolism of Ancient Zen Temples.
I will just stick with the movies, most of which are the artsy type, or often foreign film or festival winners.
http://www.porttownsendrealestatesearch.net
Hi, Sandra. I enjoyed seeing the picture of your downtown. I live in Jamestown, Tennessee, and it looks like "the town that time forgot." Of course, when I watch the news, I'm grateful to be out of the mainstream but I feel sad seeing the empty storefronts. Buildings downtown were constructed of sandstone block, a local material that was obviously readily available. While it makes for imposing, solid structures that have a very dramatic appearance in themselves, the drawback is that streets cannot be widened to accomodate today's traffic. That has put a stranglehold on the center of town. A bypass around the business district and a Super Walmart did to Jamestown's downtown what bypasses and Super Walmarts have done to thousands of small towns across the country. I always appreciate a renaissance and I love this "local business" challenge that let's people know about little treasures like the Rose Theater. Thanks!
Hi Leslie, thank you for the thoughtful response. Port Townsend is a unique place and in a constant struggle with keeping it's charm and old buildings, and having enough commerce to create jobs and tax base for the city to keep functioning. It is a 2 hour commute to Seattle and we are now attracting senior citizens and just a few people who want to leave the chaos of larger cities and find a way to make a living. Not easy! Most people find they need at least 2 jobs and a lot of creativity. It is well worth it though. We are very short on crime and traffic. No ugly shopping centers, and just scenic beauty where ever you look.