Recher Theatre
512 York Road,
Towson,
MD
21204
512 York Road,
Towson,
MD
21204
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Architects: John Ahlers
Firms: George Norbury MacKenzie III
Functions: Nightclub
Previous Names: Towson Theatre, Loews Towson Twin
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
410.337.7178
Nearby Theaters
The Towson Theatre opened on March 1, 1928. The architect was John Ahlers of the George Norbury MacKenzie III architectural firm. Cost of building the theatre was $100,000. It was equipped with a Kilgen 2 manual 4 rank theatre organ.
The Towson Theatre was twinned in April 1984. On October 13, 1988 it was taken over by Loews and was closed on July 3, 1992. It was sold to the Recher family who turned it into an upscale billiard parlor. It was de-twinned and reopened on March 11, 1999 as the Recher Theatre and functioned as a concert venue. By 2019 it had become a nightclub named Torrent Nightclub.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
Here are some additional photos:
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Here is a recent photo:
http://tinyurl.com/py67h
Here is another view:
http://tinyurl.com/djjyyp
Circa 1979 photo added courtesy of Ralph Dacious McCain.
1954 photo added via John Knott.
Now known as Torrent Nightclub. Website below and Facebook page below.
https://www.torrentnightclub.com/welcome/
https://www.facebook.com/torrenttowson/
The Towson Theatre had a two-manual/four-rank Kilgen theatre organ installed for its opening. It appears to be the same as the Kilgen organ installed in the Bel Air Theatre, in Belair MD. I recall seeing a floored-over orchestra pit in front of the stage during a late 1979 visit to see “The Amityville Horrors.” There were very few Kilgen organs installed in Maryland. This is not surprising, since the largest builders of pipe organs, M.P. Moller, Inc., was located in Hagerstown, Maryland.
The Towson Theatre’s last film as a single-screener was Tom Berenger’s “The Big Chill” on March 1, 1984 before closing the theater for a month and five days due to twinning. The theater reopened as the “Towson Twin” on April 6, 1984 with “Fanny & Alexander” at Screen 1 and “Tender Mercies” at Screen 2 by JF Theatres.
Loews took over from JF on October 13, 1988, and was renamed “Loews Towson Twin”. Loews operated the Towson Twin until closing for the final time on July 3, 1992, due to the rise of General Cinema’s Towson Commands 8 across the street. The theater was then converted into a Rec Room, but closed in 1998 when Brian Recher and his family sold the building.
After the former theater received a remodel and a revert back to its normal single-screener, the former Towson Theatre reopened as the Recher Theatre on March 11, 1999.