JUNE 2007: AROUND THE STATE, DISPATCHES
BAKER CITY
Residents are once again able to watch their big-screen heroes
at the historic Eltrym Theater. After purchasing the barely
operational theater and restoring the original 1940s Art Deco
features in 1997, owner Rudyard Coltman was disappointed when a
city council debate closed the town’s only movie theater
in August 2006. Seems his $500,000 in repairs were not enough
for the new building inspector, who felt the historic structure
should have more fire safety features such as sprinklers. The
controversy, which began in 2004, settled in court in March.
According to Coltman, the historic building does not require
sprinklers although it does have new wiring, emergency lighting
and wheelchair ramps at the back exits. “Not only is this
a landmark but it’s probably the most important
recreational business in town,” he says. Originally
slated to be the Myrtle Theater, the name was changed to
Eltrym, or Myrtle spelled backwards, because the original
owner’s wife did not want to see her name on a
building.
