1920: Isaac “Ike” Binnard was an impresario in Lewiston whose goal was to present the finest of performance offerings whether amateur presentations, traveling troupes, or movies. Binnard owned most and once managed all the public theater stages in Lewiston. In 1920 Ike announced plans to build a 1200-seat theater, the Liberty; funds were raised through public subscription stock.
1921: Binnard added a stage and remodeled the Bee Hive Department Store which had been vacated by his friend R.C. Beach. Binnard kept the bee-hive shaped brick detail on the exterior façade.
Inside, the theater was elaborately and sumptuously decorated, and hosted many vaudeville and other travelling acts. In the Silent Era, live bands including Nez Perce Indian bands, accompanied film from the auditorium’s small orchestra pit. The Liberty had state-of-the art projection equipment in addition to modern heating and cooling. Binnard developed an outside air system that pumped air through water in the basement until cooled, then into the auditorium.
From the night it opened, the Liberty was a success. After Ike died in 1932, the Liberty was managed by Ike’s son Birka, until 1933 when he turned the business over to partner Mary Pulver. A few others managed the Liberty such as Harry Wall from 1954-1979, and Regal Cinemas until 2005 when the Liberty finally closed.
In 2015 the Liberty was bought by developer Mark Alexander, and in 2018 Mark and his wife Kathleen gave the theater to the Liberty Theater Preservation Alliance (LTPA), a non-profit made up of local citizens that had formed with a goal of purchasing, renovating and reopening the Liberty as a multi-purpose arts and cultural center, including films of all kinds.
