Tower Theatre

2138 E. Grand Avenue,
St. Louis, MO 63112

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JJernigan51
JJernigan51 on May 8, 2019 at 1:20 pm

Memories! I must have seen 100 films at the Tower, from 1961-67, including The TAMI Show & It’s a Mad Mad Mad World and others too numerous to mention. All my friends from Eliot & Holy Name schools met there every Friday nights. Afterwards, we’d walk down to the Velvet Freeze for ice cream. I can close my eyes and still see the concession stand. ..loved their popcorn. Man, what fun we had!!!!

JBeatty4
JBeatty4 on June 17, 2016 at 5:14 pm

Do you remember when Frankie Avalon, John Asher and Debbie Wallace, came to the Tower and signed autograph, for one of their movies, I think it was the one about the sky diving!

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on March 2, 2010 at 2:09 pm

Too bad no photos.

Kerry Manderbach
Kerry Manderbach on February 17, 2008 at 10:59 pm

Well, the site wasn’t exactly a vacant lot after the demolition…

I saw a horror movie there as a child around 1965…it was a sort of consolation prize because my mother couldn’t afford to let me go to Chain of Rocks Fun Fair for my school picnic. I think it was the only time I was in that theater.

A Jack-In-The-Box restraunt was later built there. I had a girlfriend that worked there circa 1978. The building later became a Dairy Queen, and another girlfriend worked there circa 1987. Sometime in the 1990s the spot did indeed become a vacant lot.

JAlex
JAlex on August 18, 2007 at 9:01 am

Tower closed June 12, 1969. Arthur Enterprises ad the following day said theatre had been sold for a new commerical development. To this day, site remains a vacant lot.

Norman Plant
Norman Plant on January 9, 2006 at 2:28 pm

Chuck, the link above doesn’t work any longer and I would love to see the picture of the Tower. Please contact me if you can send it.

JAlex
JAlex on October 18, 2004 at 7:48 am

Theatre designed by Kennerly and Stiegemeyer, a firm which designed a good number of St. Louis nabes.

Opening day was Sept. 1, 1919 (Labor Day) under the management of Wm. Goldman. Theatre opened as the GRAND-FLORISSANT.

As a good number of St. Louis nabes, house was taken over by Famous Players-Missouri in 1920, then City Wide Amusement, and in 1921 St. Louis Amusement.

Seating capacity listed in many sources as 1850, possibly the largest nabe in St. Louis.

Theatre renamed the FLORISSANT in 1930.

In 1946 house was remodeled and reopened as the TOWER.