Paris Theatre (Portland, Oregon)

Paris Theatre

The theater's front exterior in 2013
Former names Third Avenue Theatre
Address 6 Southwest Third Avenue
Location Portland, Oregon, United States
Owner Ray Billings
Type Theatre
Opened 1890
Website
www.raysparistheatre.com

Paris Theatre, formerly Third Avenue Theatre and also known as Paris Theater or Ray's Paris Theatre,[1] is an adult movie theater located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The theater building was constructed in 1890 and originally operated as a burlesque theatre.

History

Paris Theatre currently operates as an adult movie theater and is located at 6 Southwest Third Avenue at the intersection of Third and West Burnside Street in downtown Portland's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood. The building, originally a burlesque venue known as the Third Avenue Theatre, was completed in 1890.[2]

It was later renamed Paris Theatre and converted to a movie cinema. The venue was listed in Film Daily from at least 1941 to 1950. It screened the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat for four years.[2]

By 2003, the building served as a nightclub and music venue. In 2007, Ray Billings, owner of Jefferson Theatre, closed that venue and relocated his adult theater operation to the Paris.[1][2][3]

Description and reception

The theater and adjacent storefronts at Southwest Third Avenue and West Burnside Street in 2014

The building's exterior features a red marquee with "Theatre" written vertically and "Paris" appearing horizontally across the bottom. An additional four-panel marquee spans above the front entrance. The theater screens heterosexual adult films on one large screen and gay pornography on a smaller screen.[2] It features a stage where guests can engage in sexual activities in front of a crowd along with a "perky exam table" and a "voyeuristic bedroom".[1] The venue is open 24 hours to patrons age 18 or older; as of 2007, entry costs $8.[4]

In 2007, Willamette Week included the Paris in its list of Portland sites "Where Ghosts Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead". The paper said of the venue, "Unfortunately, the Paris Theater... hosts a bunch of winos, users and sleazy old guys the same age as your dad (or granddad), with their pants around their ankles and greasy cum rags in hand. A deformed zombie may be slightly more grotesque, but at least he won’t flash you."[4] In 2013, the same publication provided the following description of the theater and its clientele:

"Despite the many couples offerings, a recent visit finds a smattering of middle-aged men watching a massive projection of tattooed teenage girls being sloppily choked and slapped in the face. The men in the seats have their pants on and look nervous. The men standing in the aisles do not have their pants on, and look very comfortable. As you enter, all faces—translucent in the pale pink flicker of the theater—look away from the interlocking figures on the screen and gaze hopefully, instead, on you. Perhaps you will be something new. Perhaps you will be interesting."[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Korfhage, Matthew (July 3, 2013). "Capture or Asylum". Willamette Week (Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers). Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Paris Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ Jaquiss, Nigel (May 9, 2007). "Raw deal: The city is paying millions to get out of the porn business.". Willamette Week (Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers). Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 O'Connor, Michael (October 31, 2007). "Where Ghosts Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead". Willamette Week (Portland, Oregon: City of Roses Newspapers). Retrieved February 14, 2015.

External links

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