From 1984 to the present day The Lincoln hit rock bottom and was rescued and rehabilitated to the dynamic community asset and treasure it is today.
From a peak of owning and operating multiple theaters, the Pollock theater holdings began dwindling in 1952. By 1984 the Lincoln, their last operating movie theater closed with 5 people in attendance at the last movie showing.
Between 1933 the country, the county and Mount Vernon rose from the Depression through the pre-war and post-war booms. Eldon D Pollock built a small theater empire in the North Sound, culminating in opening the first Drive In theater north of Everett.
The Ives, Wilbur the father, and Waldo the local son bought their way into the Anacortes and Mount Vernon movie markets. They invested in neon blade signs and projector and sound system upgrades, fending off Paramount Studios theaters in both markets.
In 1925 Seattle investors entered the movie exhibition business in Skagit County in 1925. The Lincoln opened to great local acclaim in April 1926. By March 1927, the original operator was bought out by the Seattle investors who operated the Empire in Anacortes and were operating two rival Mount Vernon theaters.
The story of the Lincoln Theatre unfolds in 4 acts spanning a century. This is a summary of the setting, actors, conflicts and their resolution.
