The Final Act for Seattle's Oldest Theater

“Yesler’s Hall” will soon be a thing of the past, except in name. Already, carpenters are at work gutting the interior of the building preparatory to remodeling. The east end of the hall will be converted into a photograph gallery, and the west end will be partitioned off into suites of offices and rooms; a hallway will run through the entire building from one end to the other. The hall was constructed by Henry Yesler many years ago to hold Fourth of July exercises in, and for years thereafter was the only theater, opera house, and mass meeting room of any importance in the city. It has been used as a court house for the District Court, and within its building the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad was first discussed. Its walls have reverberated with the sweet sounds from Heasyni's violin and resounded with the brilliant oratory of Nehemiah Duffleld. But its days of usefulness as a public hall are over; the Opera House, Bethian Hall, and the Turn Verein Hall have superseded it, and now Yesler’s hall must be converted to other uses.