User:Therextheatre

The Rex Theatre

In 1919, Martin M. Steffen moved his small, storefront theatre from 3805 South Yakima Avenue, to his newly built single screen, six hundred fifty (650) seat theatre down the street at 3809-11 South Yakima. According to the Tacoma Daily Ledger (1922), the Rex Theatre had a revolutionary nursery so that mothers could care for their crying infants without missing the movie. This nursery was soundproof, had a view of the screen, and was equipped with small cots for the infants to sleep. The paper also states that the theatre had exceptionally wide aisles, which supports claims that the Rex was handicap accessible in the early 20th century, decades before it was required by law. The theatre was run by Steffen until he retired due to illness in 1944. The Rex continued as a theatre into the 1950s. In 1958, however, the once proud Rex was dedicated as a church, the Tacoma Calvary Temple. $12,000 was used to renovate the building for the church's use.

According to the Tacoma News Tribune (1980), the Rex was transformed from a church back into a theatre in the late seventies-early eighties; only, this time the Rex was known as the Rex Playtime and showed controversial adult films. The community protested and the theatre was closed when charges of obscenity violations were brought against the owner of the Rex Playtime, Roger Forbes. In the mid-late eighties the Rex was once again used as a church, this time for New Restoration Christian Ministries.