Tower Theatre (Bend, Oregon) facts for kids
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| Address | 835 Wall Street |
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| Location | Bend, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 44°03′32″N 121°18′53″W / 44.0587508°N 121.3148541°W |
| Owner | Tower Theatre Foundation |
| Type | Theatre |
| Seating type | reserved |
| Capacity | 480 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1940 (three months) |
| Opened | 1940 |
| Renovated | 2002 |
The Tower Theatre is a special old building in Bend, Oregon, USA. It's a place where people go to watch live shows and movies.
Contents
A Look Back at the Tower Theatre
The Tower Theatre first opened its doors in 1940. Its tall tower, about 40 feet (12 m) high, has the theatre's name lit up. This name is surrounded by over 1,200 feet (370 m) of bright green and gold neon lights. When it first opened, the theatre could seat 998 people on two different levels.
At the beginning, the theatre showed many different movies. It worked with four big movie studios: Columbia, RKO, Monogram, and Warner Bros.. This helped them get a wide variety of films. By 1948, the Tower Theatre started to host other events too. These included fashion shows, fun variety shows, amateur talent hours, and even ballet performances.
Why the Theatre Closed and Reopened
In 1993, the Tower Theatre closed down. This happened because new movie theaters, called multiplexes, started opening. These new theaters had many screens and offered more choices.
At first, there were plans to change the theatre into shops and offices. But some local people really wanted to save it. They started a group and put on almost 100 shows between 1994 and 1996. In 1995, the City of Bend bought the theatre. However, the city didn't put money into fixing it up, so it had to close again in 1996.
Saving the Tower Theatre
In the fall of 1996, a new group of 30 local people tried again to save the theatre. They asked the community what they wanted and then formed a special board. In 1997, they asked the City of Bend if they could buy the theatre. The city agreed, but they gave the group a challenge. The group had to raise $300,000 in cash and promises of support for the project.
In July 1997, the Tower Theatre Foundation was created. This was a non-profit group, meaning they didn't aim to make money. Just a few weeks after the city's challenge, the foundation had already raised $362,590. This money came from cash donations and promises of help.
In 1999, a new fundraising effort began. It was called "Encore! The Return of the Tower Theatre." People soon realized that it would take a total of $4.2 million to fully restore the old theatre. In 2001, the foundation successfully bought the Tower Theatre from the City of Bend.
The Big Renovation
Construction work to fix up the theatre started in 2002. The inside space was made much bigger. It grew from about 10,432 square feet (969.2 m2) to 13,630 square feet (1,266 m2). The basement was made larger to fit an orchestra pit, which is where musicians play. New special box seats were added, and the lobby area was expanded. Many local businesses helped out by giving materials, labor, and other resources. In return, their names were put on plaques in the lobby. A place to buy snacks and drinks, including soda and juice, was also added to the design.
The Tower Theatre Today
The Tower Theatre officially reopened its doors in January 2004. Today, it has very modern sound and lighting systems. It also has a video projection system and a 35 mm film projector for movies. The theatre is fully open and busy. It hosts many different live shows, movie screenings, presentations, and special events like weddings. For most events, volunteers help out by guiding people to their seats and taking tickets.
