SEATTLE — Seattle's longest continually running movie theater, now operated entirely by volunteers, will need to relocate after its lease was not renewed by building management.
Grand Illusion Cinema opened in 1970 in a converted dentist's office at the corner of NE 50th Street and University Way NE in the University District.
The building was purchased in September of 2023, and according to the theater's executive director, Brian Alter, a new lease was not offered to Grand Illusion.
Their current agreement is set to expire in February.
"I mean, it is a bummer... It is a bit of a letdown that it came to this," Alter said. "But in the back of my mind — everybody here has thought [we're] in a part of town where things have changed a lot and it was a matter of time before we'd have to move."
The theater was originally called The Movie House and was renamed in 1979.
In 1997, the theater was saved from potential closure and purchased by the Northwest Film Forum (NWFF), before Grand Illusion became an independent nonprofit in 2004.
"There's kind of a sense of discovery," said Alter. "It's almost like a soulful kind of vibe."
The theater shows cinema classics and rare and independent films daily.
"We're committed to continuing, I think it occupies such a unique space in Seattle," said Alter. "But now those plans have come to a reality where we've come to the point we're at now."
Grand Illusion will maintain a normal schedule until January; there are plans to hold pop-up events in conjunction with the NWFF after they move out of their current building.
Alter estimates it could cost up to $500,000 to move into a new facility.
They're accepting donations on their website.