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Tower Theatre (Salt Lake City)

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Tower Theatre
Tower Moving Pictures Theater, Tower Talkies
Map
Interactive map of Tower Theatre
Address876 East 900 South
Salt Lake City, Utah
United States
Coordinates40°44′59″N 111°51′57″W / 40.749809°N 111.865947°W / 40.749809; -111.865947
OwnerSalt Lake Film Society
Capacity340
Type cinema
Construction
OpenedJanuary 8[1] or 10,[2] 1928
Years active
98
ArchitectSamuel Campbell
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][3]

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]

Since 2020, the theater has been closed and undergoing renovations.[6] As of September 2026, the Film Society aims to reopen the theater in late 2028 or early 2029.[7]

History

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The theater was built by Samuel Campbell in late 1927[citation needed] 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] It was the first to screen sound films in the state.[8]

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]

The theater closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic[5] and in the aftermath of the 2020 Salt Lake City earthquake.[6] The Salt Lake Film Society purchased the Tower Theater building in December 2022.[3] In August 2023, they announced plans to renovate the building.[8] In March 2026, the Salt Lake Film Society filed paperwork to begin a "preliminary facade deconstruction," with the aim "to better understand what’s left of its original 1928 facade." [9]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Salt Lake City History Minute - The Tower Theater (720) (television). Salt Lake City, UT: SLCTV. 17 Jan 2017. Retrieved 9 Oct 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Tower Theatre". cinematreasures.org. Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 9 Oct 2023.
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Salt Lake Film Society Tower Theatre". utahtheaters.info. Utah Theaters. Retrieved 8 Oct 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 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.
  6. 1 2 Means, Sean P. (24 March 2026). "The Tower Theatre's long-awaited reconstruction is about to begin in 9th and 9th. Here's what's planned". Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on 2026-03-25. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  7. ↑ Searcy, Ashlyn (16 Sep 2026). "Historic Tower Theatre moves closer to comeback as restoration effort gains support". 2KUTV. Salt Lake City. Retrieved 11 Oct 2026.
  8. 1 2 Klopfenstein, Jacob (5 August 2023). "Salt Lake's Tower Theatre won't reopen this year, but owners have big plans for its future". KSL.com. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on 2026-03-25. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  9. ↑ Williams, Carter (25 March 2026). "Historic Tower Theatre to be partially deconstructed — but it'll help restore its 1920s design". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on 2026-04-19. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
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