Tower Theatre
19 S. 69th Street,
Upper Darby,
PA
19082
19 S. 69th Street,
Upper Darby,
PA
19082
13 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 128 comments
I currently work at the Tower Theater and have been helping in the on going process of doing restoration of the building. It is exciting to see a theater this old getting new a life. I saw my first concert there and find it to be an excelent place to see a show. The place is not dirty. It does have a bar that serves alcohol, soft drinks and snacks. Easy access to downtown Philadelphia via the train just one block away. And there are places to eat with in walking distance of the theater. And for thoes who are telling people to boycot the theater because it is connected to Clear Chanel, I would like to see you put up the money to keep this building going. At least they are giving at a second chance. If you have any questions about the theater, feel free to contact me.
TC: I went to the Alvin link/page and wanted to suggest to you that you include the Rothacker link as you did with the others. Thanks TC.
TC: Thanks so now the entire Rothacker gallery is included on CT. I sent him an email so hope to hear back from him as I read that he was born in Olean NY which is in the neighboring county to where I grew up in western NYS (Grand Theatre-Westfield NY).
Great catch on the Alvina. I’ve added it after doing some research.
TC: Yes, indeed. Thanks for the correction. The Alvina Kraus Theatre isn’t included on the CT site, but the print can be seen on the artist’s home page if anyone is interested in purchasing a print of that theatre. Thanks again TC for bringing the print site to the attention of the CT members. I plan to purchase the Indiana print as it’s near my husband’s hometown, Brookville PA (Columbia Theatre). Also recall a theatre in East Brady PA, but don’t recall the name. We went there on a date as it was also in the western PA section of the state.
Patsy:
I think you meant this link:
http://www.georgerothacker.com/ga1.detail.8.html
You can buy a print of the theater at this link:
http://www.georgerothacker.com/ga1.detail.7.html
Does anyone know what concert was held at the Tower on November 23, 1979? This is a special day to me.
Thanks,
MikeB
I just saw Lyle Lovett and John Hyatt on Saturday night at the Tower Theatre and will NEVER go back there again. The theater served beer throughout the entire performance and people in the audience kept going back and forth for beer. (if you want to drink go to a bar or stay home and listen to a CD) Plus there are no doors separating the theater from the lobby so it was incredibly loud. It definitely ruined the show.
To add to Warren’s comments, the Tower’s WurliTzer was a three-manual, 15 rank, style 260, opus 1901, installed on 6/29/1928. As far from what I’ve gathered from theatre organ enthusists around the area, the organ had been vandalized (stolen pipe organ) and most of it is now gone. WurliTzer Style 260, with lots of bells and whistles, was a common model for larger houses.
Do they serve beer and alcohol?
I just read the post from May 13 and it is correct.The theater was originally run by William Goldman chain and in the middle to late 60’s it was taken over by Ellis theaters. The other two theaters in Upper Darby, the 69th St (Closed in 1965 reopened briefly in 1981) and the Terminal (taken over in the early 70’s by Sameric chain)were run by Stanley Warner
In its heyday as a movie theatre, the Tower was operated by RKO Stanley Warner chain, from its opening in the 1920’s until 1975, when they sold the theatre to Clear Channel-Electric Factory’s precedsor owners
We saw Al Green at the Tower Theatre earlier this year. It kind of reminded me of the Warner Theatre in DC, but bigger. You can get all kinds of snack food and beverages there, and the bathrooms are vast and very clean. We also stayed in Philly, and took the Market-Frankford line (the “el”) from Penn’s Landing to 69th St., which puts you right across the street from the theatre.
This is a Clear Channel venue…please boycott.
I went to the Tower Theatre and saw Josh Groban. I felt so sorry for everyone there that night. It was very very hot and Josh had to complain to have them turn on the air conditioner. The place was filthy and from what I could see you could wear sweat pants there and nobody would care. I won’t be going back. I read that Josh performed at Radio City Music Hall did 4 uncors, played 2 songs on the piano and they got to hear his new song. Had the Tower Theatre been cleaner and cooler maybe we would have been so lucky.
The Tower Theatre can be seen in 1988’s “The In Crowd” as the location of the Perry Parker Show.
Rassa,
We took a cab to the theatre (stayed in Philly) and took the Light Rail back. Had we known the Light Rail had a stop there, we would have taken it both ways. HTH.
~cebaby
Thank you Roger… lol
I heard it’s clothing optional. ;)
I am going to the tower theater tomorrow night to see Josh Groban and would like to know what the dress code is? Thank you for your help. Marie
Did anyone get any info on this theater about safety, access, hotels nearby, etc. PLEASE let me know asap! THANKS!
Hello,
I’m trying to find out some information about the Theatre Organ that was in the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby
Does anybody have any information on the organ?
Your otherwise good photo of the Tower Theater building misses one very important part of the building — the tower from with the building got its name.
You can see the base of the tower: it’s that set of blue poles over the “tower” sign. It goes up pretty high (or what seemed to be pretty high to a small kid in the late 1930s and ‘40s. If I remember correctly, it was capped with a lighted, rotating ball. It was a great sight coming over 69th Street hill at night.
We are coming to the theatre to see Sting in March and I am absolutely amazed that there is virtually NO information on this place. I need help on nearby hotels, what the parking deal is, etc. We were planning on making a weekend out of it … but at this point, we may just head back to Maryland after the concert!!! Any information would be very appreciated! Thanks.