Paul Allen shaped Seattle’s cultural life in four distinct ways: he bought and restored the Cinerama theater, co-founded the museum that became MoPOP, supported nonprofit radio station KEXP, and launched the Upstream Music Fest + Summit. Their stories are different—and their timelines should not be conflated: SIFF acquired Cinerama from Allen’s estate in 2023, while the available account of Upstream documents its 2017 launch but not its later status.
Four projects, four different roles
Allen’s cultural footprint was not a single institution or a uniform kind of patronage. It ranged from preserving an existing movie house to helping create a museum, supporting a community radio station, and starting a time-limited music festival and summit.
| Project | Allen’s role | Public-facing form | What the timeline establishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinerama | Purchased and restored the theater | Historic cinema | Opened in 1963; SIFF acquired it from the Allen estate in 2023. |
| MoPOP | Co-founded the institution, inspired by a Hendrix museum vision | Museum of popular culture | Experience Music Project opened in 2000 and later broadened its scope. |
| KEXP | Financial supporter | Nonprofit radio, public programs and performances | Station began in 1972; its Seattle Center public home opened in 2016. |
| Upstream | Founder | Music festival and summit | Contemporary 2018 reporting describes its 2017 launch; later status is not established by that account. |
Cinerama: restoring a landmark theater
Seattle’s Cinerama opened in 1963 as Martin Cinerama, at 2100 Fourth Avenue. The City of Seattle’s historic-sites record credits local architect Raymond H. Peck with its design and says Allen purchased the theater in 1998–99. He arranged its restoration by BOORA Architects, including work on the lobby and 808-seat auditorium and updated audiovisual equipment. City of Seattle, “Seattle Historical Sites: Cinerama Theater”.
In 2018, GeekWire quoted Cinerama manager Ethan Caldwell describing Allen’s connection to the theater: “This was one of his childhood theaters. He absolutely loves the place, and he stepped in and saved it.” That recollection appeared in the contemporary account of Allen’s cultural projects. GeekWire, October 16, 2018.
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SIFF takes over stewardship
On May 11, 2023, the Seattle International Film Festival announced that it had acquired Cinerama from the Paul G. Allen estate. SIFF Executive Director Tom Mara said, “We are honored to take on stewardship of this historic theater. It’s a film venue adored by the community and speaks to the critical role SIFF plays in bringing the power and art of film to diverse audiences across our region.” The announcement said the theater was expected to reopen later that year; that was an expectation at the time, not a current schedule. SIFF’s acquisition announcement.
MoPOP: a Hendrix-inspired vision becomes a wider museum
MoPOP traces its origins to Allen’s admiration for Jimi Hendrix in the early 1990s and his vision of a museum devoted to the musician. The project broke ground at Seattle Center in 1997. By the time it opened in June 2000 as Experience Music Project, its focus had expanded to celebrate music more broadly. It later grew beyond music into popular culture.
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The museum now describes its scope through subjects including film, fashion, music and gaming. Its retrospective also says a 2023 bequest from the Allen Estate added thousands of science-fiction, fantasy and horror items to its collections. MoPOP identifies Jody Allen as founding director and says she co-founded the institution with Paul G. Allen in 2000. MoPOP’s 25-year retrospective, Our Team and About the Museum of Pop Culture.
KEXP: support for a nonprofit radio institution
KEXP’s own history begins in 1972, when it was a student- and volunteer-run station broadcasting at 10 watts. It became KEXP 90.3 FM in 2001. The station’s growth came from more than one donor: its 2012 “Breaking New Ground Together” campaign sought $15 million, and by the 2016 opening of its Seattle Center public home, KEXP reported more than 8,000 capital campaign donors and 16,000 annual fund donors. The opening drew 12,000 attendees, according to the station. KEXP’s institutional history.
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GeekWire reported in 2018 that Allen donated $500,000 in 2016 and had supported KEXP’s moves and improvements over earlier years. In an on-air tribute reported by GeekWire, morning-show DJ John Richards said, “There would be no station without his involvement.” This account attributes the donation and remark to contemporary reporting; KEXP’s official history provides the station’s institutional timeline. GeekWire’s 2018 feature.
KEXP’s Seattle Center public home
KEXP moved broadcast operations to its Seattle Center facility in 2015, and the public home opened on April 16, 2016. The station’s visitor page describes broadcast studios, a Live Room and Viewing Gallery, a Gathering Space, a coffee shop, record shopping at Sub Pop Records, live broadcasts, special events and free live performances. It lists the address as 472 1st Ave N; current hours and events should be checked on the visitor page. KEXP’s visitor information.
Upstream: a festival and summit launched in Pioneer Square
GeekWire’s October 2018 account says Allen founded Upstream Music Fest + Summit in 2017 to spotlight cutting-edge music in Pioneer Square. It described hundreds of acts and a KEXP stage, capturing the event’s launch-era scale and programming. That contemporary report establishes the launch, not whether Upstream continued in later years. GeekWire’s 2018 feature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the legacy differs across Seattle
These projects illustrate distinct kinds of cultural involvement: Allen acted as a theater owner and restorer at Cinerama, a co-founder at MoPOP, a donor to KEXP, and a founder of Upstream. Their forms of public access differ too: a cinema and museum are venues, KEXP combines broadcasting with public programs, and Upstream was a festival and summit. The later stewardship of Cinerama is documented by SIFF’s 2023 acquisition; the cited launch-era account does not establish Upstream’s subsequent course.
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