If you have watched a movie at the Eatonville Roxy theater, you have Leo (Angelo) Pechhia to thank. He and his wife built the theater in the 1940s.
Here we see Leo standing in front of the theater in September 1961. (This was a big year for movies — West Side Story, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 101 Dalmatians and The Parent Trap.)
To read about the whole history of the Eatonville theater, just click HERE.
In short, Leo built a number of theaters in the area. “By the 40s Leo was also operating additional theaters in Randle, Mineral, Morton, Steilacoom, Old Town and Salkum, as well as the Narrows Theater in Tacoma, which he built in 1949.”
Leo and his Regina were originally from Italy and built their home in Eatonville. It’s the brick house still standing on Carter with figs growing beside the garage — fig trees that Regina brought from Italy.
Leo and his wife sold the Eatonville theater in the late 1970s.
Photo courtesy of the Baublits family and late photographer Joe Larin.
Click on image to enlarge.
Eatonville To Rainier 