300-302 N. First Ave. Panida Theater

A Spanish Mission style structure, built for $70,000 in 1927 by F.C. Weskil, first opened its doors as a vaudeville and cinema venue. The entrance fee was a bottle cap, and by the 1940s had increased to 9 cents. Dedicated to the people of the PANhandle of IDAho, the theater was given the name PANIDA. It was the first building in Sandpoint built of reinforced concrete. The theater had a unique “Cry Room” where mothers with babies could sit in comfort behind a glass window to view performances and films with audio piped into the room. In 1985 the Panida was slated to be destroyed. Three local women, the “Panida Moms,” raised the money to save it. The theater received the Orchid Award from Preservation Idaho in 1986.