The Elsinore Theater was built in 1925 and 1926 because a man named George Guthrie believed Salem needed a larger theater. Many of Salem's finest artists helped design and decorate the theater.

The building was designed to look like Elsinore Castle, the setting for Shakespeare’s play "Hamlet".. Created in stained glass above the entrance is the scene of Hamlet greeting actors to the Elsinore Castle along with windows featuring characters from "Hamlet". Above the Shakespearean characters are the spectacular windows of Elsinore Castle at sunset. The windows were made from stained glass pieces from a cathedral in Germany that was bombed in World War I.

On May 28, 1926, the theater opened with a showing of "The Volga Boatman," and the mighty Wurlitzer organ played "Finlandia." A local judge was the master of ceremonies. The mayor of Salem gave a fine short speech of appreciation, and Governor Pierce said the architecture of the new Elsinore Theater was close to perfect, and declared that once more the best came out of the West.

The Elsinore was primarily a movie theater, but it also served as a vaudeville house. In addition, Fanchon and Marco, a Los Angeles troupe that played en route to Portland and Seattle had stage revues twice a week. The Elsinore was also home to the Salem Area Mickey Mouse Club and a space for a variety of other acts.

The accompaniment for performances was produced by a 13 piece pit orchestra or by the original Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ. The organ was a medium sized instrument with 900 pipes. It was installed in four rooms above the proscenium (the part of the stage in front of the curtain). The organ was removed in 1962 by George Guthrie’s son, David, who had the instrument put in his Portland home. The was eventually destroyed.

The Historic Elsinore Theater, a leading performing arts facility, is now owned and operated by Salem Theater Auditorium Group Enterprises (STAGE, Inc.). STAGE continues to bring world-class performers to the Willamette Valley and offers its facility as a rental space for numerous events.

Since STAGE’s inception and with the help of volunteers and donors, The Historic Elsinore is being renovated: new lower level restrooms; the addition of an accessible restroom; restoring the original stained glass exit signs; restoring the stained glass windows; replacing lobby carpeting and the addition of a new concessions bar. On one occasion, the black seats on the orchestra were cleaned, eventually revealing that the seats were indeed red. The Parks Murdock Mighty Wurlitzer organ, donated by Rick and Clayton Parks in 1994, has been and continues to be upgraded to include three keyboards, twenty-four ranks, 1,644 pipes and a large assortment of percussions.

Many people and organizations have donated time and money to make restorations possible. With over 150,000 people estimated to attend The Historic Elsinore Theater this year, much remains to be done to restore the building to its original grandeur and to best serve its patrons now and in the future.

Revised from information on the the Elsinore website.