New Auburn Avenue Theater will help enhance downtown

Flanked to the north by the Postmark Center for the Arts, Auburn’s new theater will act as a community hub of arts and culture, a magnet to draw people into the downtown to catch live performances.

But it would be cutting the $2.1 million project far short to think of it as a theater only, as it will create a new downtown park east of the theater, incorporate public artwork, and make use of the rebuilt B Street Plaza across East Main.

On Sept. 22, Senior Project Engineer Matt Larson, Parks, Arts, and Recreation Director Julie Krueger, Arts Coordinator Allison Hyde, and former Theater Manager Jim Kleinbeck presented all facets of the plan during a work session of the Auburn City Council.

To fully appreciate what’s coming together here, it’s helpful to recall what the project will replace. The former Auburn Avenue Theater was built in 1926 as a bus depot, and over time, served as a movie theater, and a playhouse. The city razed the building in 2024 because of structural damage associated with the demolition of the burned remnants of the Max House Apartments.

“We were tasked with creating a theater that would use the same programming we had at the original theater, obviously with new, upgraded amenities, and more efficient function of the space,” Larson said. “It did have some inefficiencies, specifically, a [space-limited] back-of-the-house that no one really got to see, and very cramped spaces. The theater itself was … a creative use of space, we’ll say that.”

In addition, the previous concessions area was too small, and the performers did not have their own restrooms to change into their costumes, so they shared them with theater patrons, which was awkward, he said. The big difference between old and new, however, is that the new has been designed specifically to be a theater.

“Although the orientation changes, the overall footprint is not that much larger. It’s just a more organized use of the space, more functional,” Larson said.

With respect to size, the new theater will add about 1,200 square feet more to the overall footprint than the old theater , while the seating capacity will increase by about 50 seats. There will be a more robust concession area, an actual green room for performers to rest and relax after the performance, larger dressing rooms with direct access to bathrooms, rethought production and support areas, and a more inviting, open lobby space with tall, clear glass windows.

The theater plaza parcel and downtown park were identified as an ideal and important location for public art, highlighting the site as a community hub of arts and culture in downtown Auburn.

Here’s where the money is coming from:

• $4 million developer contribution.

• $4 million in Real Estate Excise Tax (REET).

• $ 2 million in park impact fees.

• $1.5 million from the state Department of Commerce.

• $600,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Any other money, Larson said, will be added to the furniture and fixtures budget.

The development package was completed as of the first quarter of 2025. Design and permitting will continue until the end of the year, with the project going out to bid by the end of the year, or the first part of 2026. Construction should begin in the first quarter of of 2026, and wrap within 12 to 18 months.

About the park

The park parcel provides a thing Auburn residents have never had: a centralized open green space in the heart of downtown, acting like sinews connecting the theater with the Postmark, East Main Street, and the recently completed B Street Plaza.

It will include a plaza at the east entrance of the theater to serve as a site for a public gathering space for general passive uses, community events, park programs, and more. The park will be included in the bid package with the theater.

It requires a minimum of 85% green open space.

Funding sources for the park are:

• The initial $967,000 from a King County Conservation Futures grant, with $717,000 of it already spent to acquire the property and for demolition of the comic book store. The city has already been reimbursed for this money.

• A $250,000 direct appropriation from the state.

“We will be using park impact fees, and we’ve cobbled together some remaining funds from other downtown projects, possibly including $100,000 in ARPA funding available for the Postmark to be used along the alleyway. We’ll probably try to combine it in this project,” Krueger said.

The western section of the park, which includes the remaining portion of the theater parcel, the city will use as a gathering plaza for the east entrance of the theater, with added hard surfacing and stormwater facilities.

Art

Auburn’s Art in Public Places program outlines the public art process selection, and a committee was formed to help guide and select artists for the opportunity.

Between May and June of this year, the city asked for applications from public artists in the state. A total of 65 artists applied for the opportunity, which comes with $97,500 in public art commissions. Four finalists interviewed with the committee in July, and it chose John Fleming, Hyde said.