The Clemmer Theatre is thought to possibly be the first theatre designed and built exclusively for the exhibition of motion pictures; it certainly was Seattle’s first exclusive motion picture theatre. Built by theatre operator James Q. Clemmer at a cost of $135,000, the film theatre was one of most extravagant of its time. Clemmer had an Estey theatre pipe organ installed in the venue for its 1912 opening. The original Clemmer organist was Oliver G. Wallace.

The theatre was renamed the Columbia Theatre in 1922. The Columbia featured a Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ, installed in 1922. Organist Ed Zollman played at the Columbia.

The theatre was showing 1-4 December 1929, Illusion (1929); 5 December 1929, The Great Divide (1929).

References: FilmYearBook-1926 p. 590 : Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1 December 1929, p. 8E; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 4 December 1929, p. 15 : Cinema Treasures website; Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society website.