4th Avenue Theatre, Anchorage, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

The 4th Avenue Theatre is a historic Art Deco movie palace on West 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage, Alaska. It was built by local businessman Cap Lathrop and opened in 1947. It is one of the best-known landmarks on the city's main historic street.

The story behind it

The theatre was the project of Austin E. "Cap" Lathrop, who built a business empire in Alaska that included mining, radio and cinemas. He wanted a showpiece for Anchorage, a movie house in the grand style of the big cities of the Lower 48. Work began in the early 1940s, and the Second World War slowed construction. The doors finally opened in 1947.

The building was designed by Seattle theatre architect B. Marcus Priteca, whose name is attached to many picture palaces of the era. It has since been recognised as a historic building and remains an important part of the story of how downtown Anchorage grew in the middle of the twentieth century.

What to look for

• The Art Deco styling of the front of the building, with its clean vertical lines and streamlined, geometric look.
• The marquee and vertical sign above the entrance, which recall the golden age of cinema and look best when lit at dusk.
• The scale of the building next to its neighbours on 4th Avenue, which shows how ambitious a project it was for a small Alaskan town in the 1940s.
• The street itself, where older commercial buildings line both sides and show how the downtown grid was laid out.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 10 to 15 minutes to see the exterior and take photos. Allow more if you want to wander the surrounding blocks.
• Late afternoon and early evening are good for photos, especially when the sign is lit.
• Access to the interior depends on events, tours and current ownership, so check current opening hours and listings before you go.
• The theatre sits in the middle of downtown, so shops, cafes and other historic sights are within a short walk.

See it on a quest

Playing Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Anchorage is a good way to see the 4th Avenue Theatre. You reach it on foot as one stop on a longer route through downtown. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot using what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group. You can start whenever suits you, with no guide and no group to join.