Tower Theatre (Salt Lake City) Explained

Tower Theatre
Address:876 East 900 South
City:Salt Lake City, Utah
Country:United States
Coordinates:40.7498°N -111.8659°W
Architect:Samuel Campbell
Owner:Salt Lake Film Society
Capacity:340
Type:cinema
Opened:January 8 or 10, 1928
Othernames:Tower Moving Pictures Theater, Tower Talkies
Website:Website

The Tower Theatre, located in the 9th and 9th neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, is a historic film theater operated by the Salt Lake Film Society.[1] [2]

The theater (with the Broadway Centre Cinemas, also owned by the society) screens classic and independent films, and hosts a movie-rental library.[3] The theater became a venue for the Sundance Film Festival in 1992.[4]

The theater closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The Salt Lake Film Society purchased the Tower Theater building in December 2022, and plans to renovate it.[2]

History

The theater was built by Samuel Campbell in late 1927 and opened January 8[1] or 10, 1928. The Tower Theater is the oldest movie theater in the Salt Lake Valley that still operates today, and was the first air-conditioned movie theater in the city.[3] Its original façade resembled the Tower of London,[1] but this was removed in 1950.[5] It was equipped with a Kilgen organ during the silent film era.[5] The theater converted to sound films in 1930 and became known as "Tower Talkies."[1]

The theater closed in 1988 and remained vacant until it reopened on July 26, 1991.[3] In 2001,[1] the Tower Theater was saved from demolition, and the nonprofit Salt Lake Film Society was established to manage the theater.[3] [4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. 17 Jan 2017 . Salt Lake City History Minute - The Tower Theater . television . English . 9 Oct 2023 . 720 . Salt Lake City, UT . SLCTV.
  2. Web site: Salt Lake's Tower Theatre won't reopen this year, but owners have big plans for its future . Jacob Klopfenstein . 5 Aug 2023 . ksl.com . KSL Broadcasting . 9 Oct 2023.
  3. Web site: Salt Lake Film Society Tower Theatre . utahtheaters.info . Utah Theaters . 8 Oct 2023.
  4. Web site: Planning a revamp, the Tower Theatre will skip the 2023 Sundance film fest . Giovanni Radtke . 23 Dec 2022 . globeslcc.com . The Globe . 9 Oct 2023.
  5. Web site: Tower Theatre . cinematreasures.org . Cinema Treasures . 9 Oct 2023.