Egyptian Theater ready for new tenants after year-long closure and SIFF exit

On Oct. 9, the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) announced it would not reopen Capitol Hill’s historic Egyptian Theater after a 10-month closure, ending its lease with Seattle Central College, the theater’s owner. SIFF had closed the Egyptian to repair damage from a massive pipe leak that occurred in November 2024. Central has completed repairs, but SIFF said it could no longer continue to operate the theater, citing difficulties in funding the operation and maintenance of the 109-year-old venue.

Now that SIFF has ended its lease, Central is reviewing applications for the theater’s next tenants. Despite SIFF’s exit, the Egyptian may soon reopen.

The future of the Egyptian had been uncertain since the pipe leak shuttered the theater in November 2024. Water from the mainline pipe on the fourth floor leaked through the ceiling into the theater, causing structural and cosmetic damage. At the time, while still assessing damage, SIFF said the Egyptian would remain closed for several months for repairs.

Immediately after the closure, Central began repairs, drying the theater and replacing its ceiling. Throughout the process, SIFF provided multiple updates but couldn’t give a reopening date. In March 2025, SIFF said the closure would extend beyond the completion of repairs as it continued to assess the damage and prepare to reopen.

Then, last month, SIFF and Central released a joint statement announcing that SIFF would end its lease at the Egyptian. They described the decision as mutual. The organization had renewed its lease with the college in October 2024, one month before the leak forced the closure. The lease was originally set to expire in 2029.

Although Central says the theater no longer needs repairs, SIFF has concluded that it cannot afford to operate it.

SIFF said the decision reflects “both the current realities of arts funding and the extensive resources required to operate a historic venue of the Egyptian’s size and age.”

The 63,000-square-foot building that houses the theater was built in 1916 and for decades served as Capitol Hill’s local Masonic temple. After years of declining membership and the building’s deterioration, SIFF helped renovate the building and in 1980, it reopened as a theater for the organization’s annual film festival.

Central bought the Egyptian in 1992 and leased it to Landmark Theatres, which operated it until 2013. The next year, SIFF—which had expanded beyond its festival into year-round cinema operations at the Seattle Center and Uptown Theater—signed a 10-year lease with Central for the Egyptian. The organization raised $340,000 from crowdfunding and major donor matches to reopen the theater in 2014.

“The Egyptian Theater has been an integral part of SIFF’s identity for nearly 50 years, and especially the last decade. Its absence has already been deeply felt,” Tom Mara, SIFF’s executive director, said in the statement.

Now, with a new ceiling and a fresh coat of paint, the Egyptian is ready for new tenants. A spokesperson for Central said the college is open to both short-term and long-term tenants and is currently reviewing applications for leases and rentals.

“Our focus remains on how our facilities, including this space, can best support our students and the college’s mission,” the college said.

After nearly a year of uncertainty and the departure of a longtime partner, the Egyptian Theater is ready to welcome new occupants.