Tower Theatre

835 NW Wall Street,
Bend, OR 97709

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Related Websites

The Tower Theatre (Official)

Additional Info

Architects: Harry A. Herzog, Benjamin Marcus Priteca

Functions: Performing Arts

Styles: Streamline Moderne

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 541.317.0700

Nearby Theaters

Tower & Bend Theaters...Bend Oregon

The March 6, 1940 opening movie was “Four Wives” in the Art Moderne style Tower Theatre. It closed as a movie house in 1994, underwent a renovation in 2002 and was reopened in January 2004. Today operating as a performing arts venue, the Tower Theatre is known as ‘Central Oregon’s Center Stage’.

Contributed by Ross Melnick

Recent comments (view all 9 comments)

kbend
kbend on March 25, 2004 at 7:15 pm

The renovation is complete and the theater re-opened January 30, 2004.
http://www.towertheatre.org

ticktock11
ticktock11 on November 1, 2008 at 6:58 pm

The ocher-colored building two addresses to the left of Lost Memory’s Apr. 7 (and other) photo postings is the former Liberty Theater. I recall being fascinated by it as a small boy in the mid-50s, when it had been closed for some time. Its ground floor was gutted later to provide a Sears store, but the balcony apparently remained untouched until very recently, when the upper stories were converted to condominiums. (With drug money; the building is in receivership with the feds, who are trying to sell it.)

Sorry to intrude on the Tower thread …

ticktock11
ticktock11 on November 2, 2008 at 5:18 am

Correction: I should have said two doors to the RIGHT in Lost Memory’s posts… .

millsbranch
millsbranch on February 25, 2009 at 3:25 pm

Correct on the Liberty, I will try and get an old 1947 photo
posted, which shows both theaters in their heyday Billy h

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on February 26, 2009 at 4:40 am

A fantastic view from 1947 of the Tower and Liberty Theaters in Bend, Oregon.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on November 11, 2010 at 2:05 am

You really gotta love theatre managers.On the ad for the sci-fi movie “MAROONED” it states “HAS THE DAZZLING OUTER SPACE EFFECTS OF 2001,BUT WITH A STORY”. WHAT! I hope Nick doesn’t read this. “MAROONED” was a decent flick,but the manager sure did not like 2001. Love these old ads. oh,the second feature was “TIME FOR A KILLING”.

Dennis Noson
Dennis Noson on January 21, 2012 at 12:32 am

Back in 1975 I worked as a young(ish) architect in Priteca’s office, here in Seattle. Benny Priteca was a specialist in theater architecture, and I saw many of his tracings for elaborate terracotta facing tiles and parapet caps. Years later, now an acoustical consultant, I was part of the design team for the 2004 renovation. Let me know— if you are a ‘local’— just how well the acoustics are working out. And thanks to all who have posted photos.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on April 1, 2017 at 5:18 am

Circa 1963 postcard added courtesy of Craig Addams.

irvl
irvl on September 8, 2018 at 6:28 pm

I was in Bend yesterday and visited the Tower Theatre. What a beautiful renovation—an Art Deco masterpiece! Thank you for allowing me to walk around the interior. You folks have much to be proud of.

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