Tower Theatre (Salt Lake City)
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][3]
Tower Moving Pictures Theater, Tower Talkies | |
| Address | 876 East 900 South Salt Lake City, Utah United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40.749809°N 111.865947°W |
| Owner | Salt Lake Film Society |
| Type | cinema |
| Capacity | 340 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | January 8[1] or 10,[2] 1928 |
| Years active | 95 |
| Architect | Samuel Campbell |
| Website | |
| Website | |
The theater (with the Broadway Centre Cinemas, also owned by the society) screens classic and independent films, and hosts a movie-rental library.[4] The theater became a venue for the Sundance Film Festival in 1992.[5]
The theater closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The Salt Lake Film Society purchased the Tower Theater building in December 2022, and plans to renovate it.[3]
History
The theater was built by Samuel Campbell in late 1927 and opened January 8[1] or 10,[2] 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.[4] Its original façade resembled the Tower of London,[1] but this was removed in 1950.[2] It was equipped with a Kilgen organ during the silent film era.[2] 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.[4] In 2001,[1] the Tower Theater was saved from demolition, and the nonprofit Salt Lake Film Society was established to manage the theater.[4][5]
References
- Salt Lake City History Minute - The Tower Theater (720) (television). Salt Lake City, UT: SLCTV. 17 Jan 2017. Retrieved 9 Oct 2023.
- "Tower Theatre". cinematreasures.org. Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 9 Oct 2023.
- Jacob Klopfenstein (5 Aug 2023). "Salt Lake's Tower Theatre won't reopen this year, but owners have big plans for its future". ksl.com. KSL Broadcasting. Retrieved 9 Oct 2023.
- "Salt Lake Film Society Tower Theatre". utahtheaters.info. Utah Theaters. Retrieved 8 Oct 2023.
- Giovanni Radtke (23 Dec 2022). "Planning a revamp, the Tower Theatre will skip the 2023 Sundance film fest". globeslcc.com. The Globe. Retrieved 9 Oct 2023.