When Dick Willard and George Bell designed the Crossroads Shopping Center in the early 1960s, it was Willard’s idea to add a theater for live performances. Some of Willard’s colleagues were not sure that he knew what he was doing, especially after he poured $85,000 into the building. For the Bellevue Playbarn, however, the timing was excellent.

The Bellevue Playbarn was a local acting troupe that had been operating in Bellevue since the late 1940s. The group’s first facility was a barn in the Surrey Downs area, but in 1959 they lost the spot due to rezoning. In late 1963 the group relocated happily to Willard’s new Center Stage Theatre at Crossroads. January of 1964 saw the Playbarn’s first production in its new location: “Under the Yum Yum Tree” by Lawrence Roman.

The Playbarn continued at Crossroads for 14 years, putting on four or five shows every year. In 1978 the shopping center underwent a large remodeling project, and the theater had to be dismantled. The last show performed at Center Stage was “The Fantasticks,” which closed in June of that year.

Heritage Corner is a feature in the Bellevue Reporter. Material is provided by the Eastside Heritage Center. For more information call 425-450-1049.