Mack Theater

Mack Theater  |  Cook's Hotel  |  Yamhill Hotel

502 NE 3rd Street  |  Built 1886

This building was erected in 1886 by L. H. Cook of McMinnville and was known historically as the Cook’s Hotel. The building was described at the time as a three-story brick building with plans drawn by B. F. Fuller. Fuller was a farmer and the brother-in-law of Lyman Hall Cook who built the hotel.

The original hotel housed 28-bedroom chambers. It had a billiard hall, bridal chamber, an elegant second floor parlor and a large dining room where meals cost 25 to 50 cents. By 1890 the hotel was referred to as The Commercial House with lodging at the cost of $1.00–$2.00per day. The east half of the building was remodeled in the 1930’s to create a movie theater, known today as Mack Theater.  

Contrary to popular belief, Mack Theater is not named after McMinnville, but rather the Mattechecks, its first proprietors. The site is currently being rehabilitated in order to reopen the historic movie theater for a new generation of McMinnville residents. The other half of the building houses Serendipity, a Victorian style ice cream parlor, complete with period furnishings and a player piano.  

                                                                 For images of the the property, and further details, check out the link below:

                                                                 Historic Resources Inventory Documentation