The purchase of the theater and its permanent preservation is a first-of-its-kind.
Black-Owned community cultural center and career-connected learning institution building arts leadership and production skills in the next generation of south Seattle youth.
Following a year of negotiation and fundraising, the Cultural Space Agency and Rainier Avenue Radio are proud to announce their partnership, and their purchase of the historic Columbia City Theater. With support from the Strategic Investment Fund, as well as direct philanthropy from local supporters, the two organizations have acquired the Theater for $3.2 million and plan to reopen a fully renovated facility in 2023. Through the creation of the New Columbia City Theater Trust, cultural community members and neighbors will have the opportunity to be direct owners of, and investors in, the property.

Tony Benton, founder and station manager of Rainier Avenue Radio and a long-time Seattle radio presence and community organizer, and Matthew Richter, co-founder and interim executive director of the Cultural Space Agency, are both thrilled to be partnering in the creation of the New Columbia City Theater partnership.
This is the first time the Columbia City Theater, in its 100-year history, will be owned by the community it is designed to serve. This purchase is one of the first cultural space acquisitions funded by the City of Seattle’s Strategic Investment Fund. It is also among the first of many cultural space acquisitions that the Cultural Space Agency is partnering on this year.
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