Egyptian Theatre, Boise, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Egyptian Theatre is a movie palace at 115 N Capitol Blvd in downtown Boise, Idaho, opened in 1927 and built in the Egyptian Revival style. It is one of the most distinctive historic buildings in the city centre and a good landmark to anchor a walk through downtown Boise.

The story behind it

The theatre opened in 1927, in the years when picture palaces were designed to feel like a destination in themselves. Ancient Egypt was a popular theme for cinemas of the 1920s, helped along by worldwide fascination with the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, and Boise's theatre followed that fashion with an Egyptian-inspired look inside and out.

Like many theatres of its generation, it has adapted over the decades to changing tastes in entertainment, and it remains a recognisable part of the downtown streetscape. Stories of crimes and ghosts are often attached to old theatres, but the tales we found for this one do not hold up against its 1927 opening date, so we have left them out here.

What to look for

• The Egyptian Revival styling of the exterior, which stands out sharply from the plainer commercial buildings around it.
• The decorative detail around the entrance and marquee area, where the theatre's theme is easiest to read from the sidewalk.
• The way the building sits on Capitol Boulevard, the street that leads directly toward the Idaho State Capitol.
• The contrast between this 1920s showpiece and the newer downtown buildings that now surround it.

Tips for your visit

• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to look at the exterior and take photographs, longer if you attend a film or event.
• Seeing the outside costs nothing. Access to the interior depends on what is on, so check current opening hours and event listings before you go.
• Daylight shows the facade detail best, while the evening brings out the marquee and the feel of a night at the cinema.
• You are in the middle of downtown, so cafes, shops and the walk up Capitol Boulevard are all close by.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Boise passes the Egyptian Theatre as one stop on a longer walk through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the building properly instead of just walking past. One ticket covers the whole group.

Boise Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. also takes you past the theatre, this time as part of a detective-style route around downtown. You reach each stop on foot, hear about it in the app and solve a puzzle on the spot, starting whenever suits you with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.