A Short History of the Tower Theatre

The Original Tower Theatre
The Tower Theatre was completed in 1940, by general contractor Fred Van Matre. Double shifts of workers were used to complete the project in just three short months.

For many years the Tower Theatre thrived as a cinema and intermittently as a performing arts stage.

Closing the Tower

When the Theatre began to show mounting signs of age and with the advent of multi-screen theatres, the Tower was closed. The owners, a large movie theatre chain, chose not to renovate and, in 1994, sold the Theatre to a partnership made up of Win and Laurel Francis, Michael and Pat Forman and Bruce and Sandi Hinchliffe. Two years later, efforts began to renovate the Tower.

The Return of the Tower
After a lengthy period of study, the foundation's board established a committee charged with developing a capital campaign. The campaign, called “Encore! The Return of the Tower Theatre,” was launched in 1999 with the goal of securing sufficient funds to enable the foundation to purchase, renovate, endow, and operate the theatre.

For more history on the Tower Theatre go to: History