Originally published October 22, 2012 at 6:42 PM | Page modified October 23, 2012 at 3:14 PM
New life for Columbia City Cinema
The former Columbia City Cinema will reopen as Ark Lodge Cinemas early in 2013, says the owner of a new lease, David McRae.
Seattle Times movie critic
JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES, 2010
The former Columbia City Cinema will reopen as Ark Lodge Cinemas early in 2013.
The former Columbia City Cinema has a new operator — and a new name.
The building has been closed since May 2011 because of longstanding issues regarding fire safety. Its lease has been taken over by David McRae, who is upgrading the cinema's projection equipment to all-digital and installing new sprinklers and fire alarms.
In honor of the historic building on Rainier Avenue South in which it is located, the theater will be renamed Ark Lodge Cinemas.
McRae, whose parents owned the Cine-Mond theater in Redmond in the 1970s, has a long history in the local movie business and recently has been specializing in transitioning 35mm movie houses to digital equipment. The reopening date for the cinema, he said, depends on working out permits with the city, but is currently Jan. 1.
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