4859 MacArthur Blvd NW

Washington, DC 20007

The MacArthur was a beloved neighborhood theater that accumulated a rich and storied history over its long tenure. It was built for the people of the Northwest D.C. neighborhood, known as the Palisades, not too far from the D.C.-Maryland boundary and the Potomac River. In true gift fashion, the theater opened on Christmas Day in 1945. The MacArthur started as a single-screen movie house with 1,000 Bodiform seats, a soundproof balcony for mothers with babies, rose-marbled interiors, and blue-canvased walls painted in ornate and florid whites, depicting Greek classical figures holding up the masks of humor and tragedy.

In the beginning, the MacArthur showed mostly second-runs of films, three weeks after they were shown in the more mainstream movie palaces and multiplexes downtown. They also had serialized stories, arthouse films, and newsreels of the Korean War. Residents of the Palisades could return on a weekly basis, learning more and more about their serials, culture, or the state of their nation each time.

In 1953, the MacArthur was the only theater in the city to show a full-length feature of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Lines wrapped around the building for a week, while moviegoers excitedly shuffled and waited for entry. In 1979, the MacArthur Theater hosted the world premiere of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” The MacArthur was not only special historically, but to a community that cherished its presence. Bobby, Ethel, Jackie, and John F. Kennedy were known to enjoy and visit the theater on more than a few occasions.

The movie house became a triplex, three-screen theater in 1982. It was attempting to adapt to a changing market that shifted with time. Patronage continued to fall, however, and in 1997, after 45 years of service, the MacArthur shut down. The building is now used as a CVS, suffering the fate of many former theaters. All that remains of the MacArthur is the sign which bears its name. It perches nostalgically on the front of the pharmaceutical shop. CVS chose not to tear it down, so that the Palisades residents could always remember.