Our story
Built for the pictures in 1931
The Garnet opened on a snowy December night with a newsreel, a cartoon and a crowd that stretched past the bank on the corner. 95 years later it is the last single-screen movie palace downtown, run as a nonprofit by the people of Missoula.
It survived the arrival of television, the multiplex on Reserve Street and a demolition order. Here is how.
Since 1931
A short history of a long run
1931
Opening night
Built by a copper-mining family who wanted Missoula to have a picture palace to rival Butte’s. Architect’s drawings call it “The Garnet” after the stones found in the Garnet Range. 1,040 seats, a balcony and a theater organ shipped by rail from Chicago.
1958
Widescreen and new projectors
A wider screen, stereo sound and the two 35mm projectors still in our booth today. The organ is boarded up behind the new screen and forgotten.
1983
The last picture night, almost
After years of falling audiences the owners apply to demolish the building for a parking lot. Four thousand people sign a petition in a month, and a group of students occupies the lobby with sleeping bags and a borrowed projector.
1986
Bought by the town
The Garnet Theater Trust buys the building for one dollar plus its debts. The balcony is closed off to make the Mezzanine Lounge, and the main floor is rebuilt with 202 wider seats.
2011
Digital, and the organ found
Members raise the money for a digital projector, and the crew installing it find the 1929 organ behind the screen wall. It takes six years and a great many volunteers to make it play again.
2024
The marquee relit
All 1,312 bulbs on the marquee and blade sign are restored and rewired, and the letterboard goes back up. On the night it was switched on, Higgins Avenue was closed for an hour.
The building
Things to look for
The sunburst ceiling
Hand-painted plaster rays fan out from above the screen. Two of them were repainted in 1986 by volunteers; see if you can spot which.
The 1929 organ
Eleven ranks of pipes and a console that rises on a lift. Marjorie Feltz plays it before Saturday evening shows and for every Organ Loft Silent.
The projection booth
Two 1958 projectors for 35mm, one digital projector, and a vault of 140 film prints. Booth tours run monthly and are free for members.
The people
Who runs the show
Eleven staff and about ninety volunteers: ushers, organ tuners, poster hangers and popcorn poppers. These are the people you’re most likely to meet.
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Hedda Okonski
Executive director and film programmer
Chooses every film you see here and introduces most of them. Has watched 400 films a year since 2009.
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Abel Tremaine
Chief projectionist
Keeps the 1958 projectors running and can thread a reel in the dark. Picks the Projectionist’s Choice titles.
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Marjorie Feltz
House organist
Writes a new score for every Organ Loft Silent and plays the intermission medley on Saturday nights.
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Winnifred Tavish
Front of house and events
Runs the box office, the concession stand and every private hire. Invented the huckleberry kettle corn.
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Clement Arkwright
Education and community
Brings 6,000 schoolkids a year for free screenings, and narrated Night Owls of Lolo Pass in one take.
Help write the next chapter
Ticket sales cover about two-thirds of what it costs to run The Garnet. Members, donors and private hire cover the rest, including the seats, the organ and the next 1,312 light bulbs.