Benjiman I. William Fey (June 4, 1874 – December 7, 1938) was an American movie theatre owner.

Life

Benjiman Fey was born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, where he later worked as a

barkeeper A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...

and stock keeper. He married Lillie Huppert, who gave birth to their son, Erwin J. Fey, on August 13, 1900. By 1920, the family was living in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

and Fey was managing the Madison Theatre in the

Capitol Hill, Seattle Capitol Hill is a densely populated residential district in Seattle, Washington, United States. One of the city's most popular nightlife and entertainment districts, it is home to a historic gay village and vibrant counterculture community. His ...

district at Madison and Broadway, where Erwin Fey also worked as a helper.

Roxy Theatre

In 1924, he sold his interest in the Madison and bought two theatres in Renton. The Roxy Theatre, located at 504 S. 3rd Street, was an

art-deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the United ...

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

, with an eight-sided dome in the ceiling and staircases with sweeping chrome railings. Inside the auditorium were art-deco light fixtures in the shape of four-pointed stars, which were able to be dimmed and yet leave enough of a glow to outline the chrome stars on the ceiling. In the stairwells there were

chandeliers A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent li ...

of slim, stately milk glass columns with stacks of little chrome trumpets on top. In more recent years, the Roxy was reopened to run East Indian Cinema, and later, as a church and rental hall.

Renton Theatre

Fey also owned the Renton Theatre, located across S. 3rd Street in the Argano building."Joseph Argano leases Ben Fey for Renton Theatre"
/ref> The Renton is now the Renton Civic Theater, a local playhouse. Fey, who also built the Roxy Apartments, and his son operated the two theatres from 1924 until Fey's death in 1938. Ben Fey's remains are inurned at the Washelli columbarium at

Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park originated in 1885. It is located on both sides of Aurora Avenue in Seattle, Washington, and occupies roughly 144 acres (58 ha). It is the largest cemetery in Seattle. History At the time of its inception, the a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fey, Benjamin American businesspeople 1874 births 1938 deaths