Orange Phelps
Encyclopedia
Orange Phelps was an American businessman and politician in the state of Oregon
. A native of California
, he attended colleges in the Midwest where he played baseball before moving to Oregon. Phelps settled near Portland
in Hillsboro
where he opened the first movie theater and later served as a mayor of that city and on the city council. He continued in the movie business until the 1970s and also opened the first drive-in theater
in the county.
. Frederick had moved to the West Coast in 1866, where Orange’s mother was born, and the couple had four daughters and four sons. Orange grew up in Davis before attending college at Hanover College
in Hanover, Indiana
.
He then transferred to Northwestern University
in the Chicago
area where he played baseball. Following college he moved to Southern Oregon
where he worked at the Granite Hill Mine near Grants Pass
, and in 1906 Phelps moved north to Hillsboro, Oregon. In Hillsboro he first worked for the agency that became the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
. In 1908 he entered the movie theater business. Phelps also played catcher for the semi-professional Hillsboro Cardinals for about twelve years, starting in 1909. On August 28, 1910, he married Ora Etta Whitmore, who died in 1974. They had two sons, John Vincent and Orange W. Phelps.
community of Rockaway each summer. As the community did not yet have electricity, Phelps had to bring his own generators, and as such, he was known as the person to bring the first lights to Rockaway.
In 1913, the Shute Bank of Hillsboro moved to a new location, and bank president John W. Shute
offered to sell the building to Phelps for use as a movie theater. Shute offered to loan Phelps the money to buy the building. Phelps renovated the building that had been built in 1888 and opened the 200-seat Grand Theater that same year. He expanded the theater to 500 seats in 1916 and changed the moniker to the Liberty Theater.
From 1916 to 1917 he also operated the Majestic Theater in Downtown Hillsboro. Ten years after opening his Grand Theater in 1926, Phelps remodeled it and changed the name to the Venetian Theatre, which in turn burned in 1956. In 1957, he re-opened the renovated movie theater as the Town Theater. The new theater had 750 seats. Earlier he had teamed up with Harry Hill to build the Hill Theater on Northeast Third Avenue, with that Art Deco
style theater opening in 1937. Phelps also started holding a free Christmas show for children at the Venetian in 1935, which became an annual Hillsboro tradition into the 1980s. In 1951, he opened Washington County’s first drive in movie theater
, the CarVue in neighboring Cornelius
in partnership with one son, Vincent, and the owners of Forest Grove’s
theaters. The Car Vue was torn down in the early 1980s to prepare for construction of a Fred Meyer
store.
Phelps ran for mayor of the city in 1928 where he faced E. L. McCormick in the November election. Phelps won the contest, running on a platform of efficient business, and succeeded M. P. Cady. He won re-election as mayor in an uncontested race in November 1932, and served as mayor from January 2, 1929 until January 2, 1935 when J. H. Garrett became mayor.
From 1928 to 1929 he served as president of the Hillsboro Rotary Club
, and was a founder of the Hillsboro Happy Days festival that celebrated Independence Day. Phelps was involved with the local Boy Scouts
, serving as a chairman of a local committee in 1935, as did future governor Paul L. Patterson
. He also served on the city’s planning commission from 1935 until 1969. During World War II
Phelps served as a civilian defense director.
In 1978, Phelps sold his theaters to Tom Moyer’s theater chain. He had been named as the oldest movie theater man still living in the country before he retired. Orange Phelps died on August 4, 1985, in Forest Grove, Oregon
, at the age of 98. He was buried at Mount Olive Cemetery in the community of Laurel
, south of Hillsboro.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, he attended colleges in the Midwest where he played baseball before moving to Oregon. Phelps settled near Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
where he opened the first movie theater and later served as a mayor of that city and on the city council. He continued in the movie business until the 1970s and also opened the first drive-in theater
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
in the county.
Early life
Phelps was born to Frederick and Alice C. Phelps on December 24, 1886, in Davis, CaliforniaDavis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Frederick had moved to the West Coast in 1866, where Orange’s mother was born, and the couple had four daughters and four sons. Orange grew up in Davis before attending college at Hanover College
Hanover College
Hanover College is a private liberal arts college, located in Hanover, Indiana, near the banks of the Ohio River. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church . The college was founded in 1827 by the Rev. John Finley Crowe, making it the oldest private college in Indiana. The Hanover...
in Hanover, Indiana
Hanover, Indiana
Hanover is a town in Hanover Township, Jefferson County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,546 at the 2010 census. Hanover is the home of Hanover College, a small Presbyterian liberal arts college. Hanover is also the home of Southwestern High School...
.
He then transferred to Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
area where he played baseball. Following college he moved to Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
where he worked at the Granite Hill Mine near Grants Pass
Grants Pass, Oregon
-Rogue River:The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 1,303.3 per square mile . By 2008,...
, and in 1906 Phelps moved north to Hillsboro, Oregon. In Hillsboro he first worked for the agency that became the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats....
. In 1908 he entered the movie theater business. Phelps also played catcher for the semi-professional Hillsboro Cardinals for about twelve years, starting in 1909. On August 28, 1910, he married Ora Etta Whitmore, who died in 1974. They had two sons, John Vincent and Orange W. Phelps.
Career
In Hillsboro he opened the Arcade Theater, a 108-seat movie house on East Main Street in Downtown Hillsboro in 1908. At that time he also worked as the booking agent for the Crescent Theater. The Arcade was Hillsboro’s first movie house. About 1910 he started showing movies in Shute Park in a large black tent each year on the Fourth of July. This venture proved profitable, so he traveled with his tent to the coastalOregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
community of Rockaway each summer. As the community did not yet have electricity, Phelps had to bring his own generators, and as such, he was known as the person to bring the first lights to Rockaway.
In 1913, the Shute Bank of Hillsboro moved to a new location, and bank president John W. Shute
John W. Shute
John Wright Shute was an American banker in the state of Oregon. He was the founder of the first bank in Washington County, Oregon, and both Shute Park and Shute Road in Hillsboro, Oregon, are his namesakes.-Early life:...
offered to sell the building to Phelps for use as a movie theater. Shute offered to loan Phelps the money to buy the building. Phelps renovated the building that had been built in 1888 and opened the 200-seat Grand Theater that same year. He expanded the theater to 500 seats in 1916 and changed the moniker to the Liberty Theater.
From 1916 to 1917 he also operated the Majestic Theater in Downtown Hillsboro. Ten years after opening his Grand Theater in 1926, Phelps remodeled it and changed the name to the Venetian Theatre, which in turn burned in 1956. In 1957, he re-opened the renovated movie theater as the Town Theater. The new theater had 750 seats. Earlier he had teamed up with Harry Hill to build the Hill Theater on Northeast Third Avenue, with that Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style theater opening in 1937. Phelps also started holding a free Christmas show for children at the Venetian in 1935, which became an annual Hillsboro tradition into the 1980s. In 1951, he opened Washington County’s first drive in movie theater
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
, the CarVue in neighboring Cornelius
Cornelius, Oregon
Cornelius is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 9,652 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 10,895 residents.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
in partnership with one son, Vincent, and the owners of Forest Grove’s
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
theaters. The Car Vue was torn down in the early 1980s to prepare for construction of a Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer
Fred Meyer, Inc., is a chain of hypermarkets founded in 1922 in Portland, Oregon, by Fred G. Meyer. The company was one of the pioneers of one-stop shopping, eventually combining a complete grocery supermarket with a drugstore, clothing store, shoe store, fine jewelers, home decor store, home...
store.
Civic affairs
Phelps entered politics in 1920 when he ran for a seat on the Hillsboro City Council, winning the November election and taking office on January 4, 1921. He won re-election to the council and remained in that office until January 4, 1927. While in office, he was in-charge Hillsboro’s annual Fourth of July celebration in 1923, and in 1921 he had helped get the Pavilion at Shute Park built.Phelps ran for mayor of the city in 1928 where he faced E. L. McCormick in the November election. Phelps won the contest, running on a platform of efficient business, and succeeded M. P. Cady. He won re-election as mayor in an uncontested race in November 1932, and served as mayor from January 2, 1929 until January 2, 1935 when J. H. Garrett became mayor.
From 1928 to 1929 he served as president of the Hillsboro Rotary Club
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, and was a founder of the Hillsboro Happy Days festival that celebrated Independence Day. Phelps was involved with the local Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, serving as a chairman of a local committee in 1935, as did future governor Paul L. Patterson
Paul L. Patterson
Paul Linton Patterson was an American Republican politician. He served as President of the Oregon State Senate and the 26th Governor of Oregon .-Early life:...
. He also served on the city’s planning commission from 1935 until 1969. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Phelps served as a civilian defense director.
Later years
Phelps was named as the distinguished citizen of the year in the senior division by the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce in 1964. He was a member of the International Order of Odd Fellows, a Freemason with the Tuality Lodge, and a member of the Montezuma Lodge.In 1978, Phelps sold his theaters to Tom Moyer’s theater chain. He had been named as the oldest movie theater man still living in the country before he retired. Orange Phelps died on August 4, 1985, in Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
, at the age of 98. He was buried at Mount Olive Cemetery in the community of Laurel
Laurel, Oregon
Laurel is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Settled in 1872, the community is located between Hillsboro and Newberg, in the southern portion of the Tualatin Valley in the foothills of the Chehalem Mountains. The community retains its agricultural heritage...
, south of Hillsboro.