Paramount Theatre Seats Disappear - On Purpose

Beneath the ornate seating of the Paramount Theatre sits 1 million pounds of steel, bolts, jacks and motors. Push a button and it groans to life, slowly sucking 1,523 seats from view, creating a slick ballroom floor instead.

This is the Paramount's convertible seating system, the only one of its kind in the nation. The system allows the rows of seating on the theater's main floor to be slid underfoot and covered, leaving space for up to 1,000 people to dine, dance or mosh.

Singer David Bowie was impressed: He scheduled a Seattle appearance in September to perform in the Paramount, sans seats.

"He really wanted a flat floor," said Ida Cole, a former Microsoft executive who bought the Paramount in 1994 and oversaw its renovation.

"What were his options in Seattle? The Mercer Arena? He'd sound terrible there - he's got a 50-year-old voice, after all."

But the Paramount offered something few old and historical buildings can: a floor without seats for the crowd to stand and dance on. The $5 million project was planned all along for the renovation but fell behind schedule when an Italian manufacturer defaulted on the contract.

Sellen Construction completed the job and has been working out the kinks since September. When it's fully functioning, the floor can be "flopped" in an hour.

Cole also hopes to attract large corporate events such as fund-raisers or exhibitions, saying there are few venues in the area that can accommodate groups of up to 1,000. They include Union Station, the Museum of Flight, Seattle Center, the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, and several large hotels downtown.

The Paramount rental rate reflects that scarcity: $8,500 a day for use on Sunday through Thursday; $10,000 for a Friday or Saturday.

Comparably, the Museum of Flight charges $7,000 for space to accommodate 650 diners, and Union Station charges $2,500 to $3,000.

"It's a pretty competitive market, particularly for handling 650 to 1,000 people," said Gary Adams, manager of Premiere Productions, which manages Union Station. "There aren't a lot of spaces."

Coles also expects the retractable seating to broaden the types of acts able to perform at the theater. The seats are stored in wagons beneath the floor, which include gutters collecting anything that might be splashed about.

"Concerts get messy," said Josh LaBelle, the Paramount's producer. "We had Primus here before, and we lost a few seats."

On Friday, it was a different story. When the alternative thrash band returned, it was a relatively mild-mannered event, lacking any seats to jump on, spit on or rip from the floor.

Now that's progress.

Linda Keene's phone message number is 206-464-2210. Her e-mail address is: lkee-new@seatimes.com