Venue
Gorilla Gardens Rock Theater
The Rock Theatre was an all-ages live music venue in Seattle founded by Tony Chu, opening in December 1984. Chu had previously operated the Gorilla Room from 1980 to 1981. For most of its existence, the Rock Theatre was located at 410 5th Avenue South in Seattle’s Chinatown, housed in a former two-screen movie theater. The venue featured two performance spaces—the Omni Room and Gorilla Gardens—each with a capacity of approximately 300–350 people. Punk and metal shows were often held simultaneously in separate rooms.
The Chinatown location closed in late October 1985, after which the venue briefly relocated to 307 Nickerson Street in North Queen Anne as a single-room space. After only a few shows, the Rock Theatre permanently closed in November 1985 following a police shutdown due to fire code violations that resulted in a riot.
Gorilla Gardens was frequently used as a general name for the venue, making it unclear in some cases which room hosted specific performances.
The Chinatown location closed in late October 1985, after which the venue briefly relocated to 307 Nickerson Street in North Queen Anne as a single-room space. After only a few shows, the Rock Theatre permanently closed in November 1985 following a police shutdown due to fire code violations that resulted in a riot.
Gorilla Gardens was frequently used as a general name for the venue, making it unclear in some cases which room hosted specific performances.
