Historic Walking Tour - Johnson Porter Building

Significance

The Majestic Theatre was the leading theatre house in Corvallis until the Whiteside Theatre was erected in 1922; then it became the second largest theatre and the main stage for major theatrical productions. It operated as a theatre for almost 70 years before its closure in 1982. 

The integrity of this 1913 commercial style building has been compromised; however, the exterior facade of the south portion (the original store space) is intact. Undesirable changes to the building are felt to be reversible or restorable and it should be noted numerous architectural details and features remain. 

The building is the oldest intact theatre house in Corvallis and is one of only three movie houses remaining downtown. To heighten its significance, the theatre building is associated with two historic Corvallis business names: Johnson Porter and Sam Whiteside. 

Physical Description 

The Johnson Porter building (75' X 100') was built in 1913 in the commercial style of architecture. The building was erected for the Majestic Theatre, small shops and an upstairs apartment. The two-story building has a white pressed brick front and a pilaster colonnade with ends terminating in chimney flues across the facade. The original modillioned metal cornice remains intact. Recessed brick panels are found between the cornice and the second floor windows. A projecting cornice piece divides the first and second stories. Brackets and modillions are present on this cornice over the front entrance. 

The original curved marquee is no longer present, replaced with a flat-roofed affair. The south 25 feet of the front (west) facade retains the original entry way, leaded windows, and commercial style second story windows. These features have been obscured on the north 50' of the front facade. The ground floor has been substantially altered, except for the bracketed entryway . 

The rear (east) elevation of the building is intact except for door replacements. The doors and the original one-over-one double hung wood sash windows are set within arched brick surrounds. There is a cellar with rear access beneath the building. 

Historical Background 

The Johnson Porter building was erected for lessees Samuel Whiteside and Charles Small, Corvallis Theatre pioneers, in 1913. The theatre house was built soon after Small and Whiteside's first theatre, The Palace (1898) burned down. The Crystal Theatre was operated in the interim. The new Majestic, an 800-seat combination theatre and moving picture house, hosted international violinists, opera stars, vaudeville acts, college plays, local choruses and bands. Built adjacent to the Julian Hotel, that edifice housed many of the entertainers and was the place for after-theatre socializing. 

When new, the Majestic was magnificently outfitted. The color scheme of all decorations and tinting was "old rose" and gold, with Louis XV frescoes. Curtain hangings at the boxes, orchestra pit and theatre rear were of brown velour. The chairs were finished in leather upholstery. Many mirrors were hung about and the three double-door entrance was tiled. The aisles, boxes, orchestra pit and loges were carpeted. 

The 23' X 54' stage was fitted with several drops, an asbestos curtain and complete stage fittings, painted especially for the theatre house. The stage had an opening of twenty feet and a sixteen foot working space. Below the stage were the cement floored dressing rooms. 

The 6-A Powers moving picture machine was located in a room at the back center of the balcony. The orchestra pit featured a 4-piece orchestra every night of a show. The building was steam heated, provided with an indirect lighting system, had suction fans, and ventilating shafts through the dome. 

The Majestic Theatre occupied the north 50' of the Johnson Porter Building. The south 25 was initially occupied by Whitham and Fortier, a dry-goods and ladies wear establishment. The shop had show windows 18' deep and floors of oak and maple, tiled entrances, and a rear balcony for offices and restrooms. The second floor of the building was an apartment, probably built for Porter himself who is known to have lived in the apartment from at least 1922 until his death in 1938. 

Johnson Porter was a prominent Corvallis business man. He was born in the town in 1859 and spent practically his entire life here. He attended the local college then served as police judge from 1889 to 1896. Later, he was municipal judge and then city mayor from 1915 to 1917. City Park was purchased during his administration. Porter is most widely known for his association with the Corvallis Municipal electric light plant (1889), which he operated for about 20 years. Porter married Flora Rumbaugh n 1885. Their son, Fred, became a well-known Corvallis City engineer. 

Sam Whiteside held interest in the Majestic Theatre for many years though it is not known when he ceased to lease the building; possibly this occurred in 1922 when the Whiteside Theatre was erected to satisfy Sam Whiteside's desire to own a theatre building and the business. 

Sam Whiteside was born in 1878 in Iowa, having come to Benton County with his parents and brothers in 1891. As a young man, Whiteside was involved in various businesses before turning to the motion picture business in 1898. He eventually became involved in the operation of seven theatres in Corvallis before his death in 1943. His wife, Vida, whom he married in 1915, to this day holds a co-trust to the Whiteside Theatre building. The Majestic Theatre operated under the name Majestic until 1949 when it was renamed The Varsity, a name it held until its closure in 1982. 

Sources Consulted

• Daily Gazette Times, "Majestic is Name Selected", May 7, 1913, p. 1.
• Daily Gazette Times, "New Theatre will Open Tonight", August 5, 1913, p. 1-2.
• Corvallis Gazette Times, "New Store to Open Next Saturday", August 27, 1913, p. 1.
• Corvallis Daily Gazette Times, "Corvallis Provided With Excellent Theatres", by C. E. Ingalls, January 1, 1923, sec. 1, p. 7.
• Corvallis Gazette Times, "Johnson Porter Dies Here Today", August 18, 1938, p. 8.
• Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley, Oregon, Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago, 1903.
• Corvallis Gazette Times, "Sam Whiteside Dies Thanksgiving Day After Stroke", November 26, 1943, p. 6.