Delco’s Lansdowne Theater’s reopening as a music venue has been delayed
The movie house built in 1927 has been closed for 37 years and was scheduled to host concerts by Billy Bragg and Richard Thompson. Now the opening date is uncertain.
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The Lansdowne Theater, the Delaware County showplace that debuted as a movie house in 1927 and has been shuttered since 1987, is meant to reopen as a music venue.
But when that will be is uncertain. The 1,280 capacity venue was scheduled to open its doors this month with the completion of an $18 million renovation that’s been in the works for 14 years.
The first shows scheduled were British songwriter and activist Billy Bragg on Oct. 17, Beatles tribute band the Fab Four on Oct. 18, and British songwriter-guitarist Richard Thompson, playing with a full band in support of his new album, Ship to Shore.
Now the Delco theater’s reopening has been pushed back indefinitely due to construction delays, according to its management. Those shows have been moved to other venues, as have several others that had been scheduled into November and December.
Matt Schultz, the project manager for the nonprofit Historic Lansdowne Theater Corp., which owns the theater, told The Inquirer that they “reran into unforeseen issues and had to push back our opening. Historic buildings are wonderful but hold many secrets — especially ones that have been closed for 37 years.”
Schultz said the delays were caused by “roof issues” and other concerns “that we didn’t uncover earlier on, and we’re dealing with now. We hope to make an announcement soon about the anticipated opening days.”
Work is ongoing at the Lansdowne, which opened in 1927 with the silent boxing drama Knockout Reilly and closed after an electrical fire in 1987, after a final screening of the Eddie Murphy-starring Beverly Hills Cop.
On Monday afternoon, hard hat wearing plumbers and electricians were busily working at the theater.
Last week, BRE Presents, the Haddonfield-based concert promotion company, posted a message about the delay on thelansdownetheater.com and on social media. The company is the Lansdowne’s tenant and also produces concerts at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, Marian Anderson Hall in Philadelphia, and the Ocean City Music Pier, among other venues.
It stated: “We have received information — from the owners of the theater and their construction company — the date we had been given for our anticipated Grand-Re-opening in October is unfortunately no longer a viable possibility due to delays in the scheduled completion of the theater’s renovation project.”
Show cancellations and announcements of concerts being moved to other venues have been met with frustration and anger by ticket holders on the venue’s Save The Lansdowne Theater page on Facebook. Many questioned why tickets were put on sale if the renovation was unlikely to be completed in time for the scheduled opening this month.
If and when it opens either later this year or sometime in 2025, the Lansdowne will add to the number of small to midsize theaters surrounding Philadelphia that regularly book nationally touring pop music acts of various genres.
They include the Sellersville Theater in Bucks County, Colonial in Phoenixville, Scottish Rite in Camden, Keswick Theatre in Glenside, and the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Del., which together form a circuit that allows mostly veteran acts such as Thompson and Los Lobos to make multiple tour stops in the greater Philly region.
The Billy Bragg show, in support of his new retrospective collection The Roaring Forty, has been relocated to the Scottish Rite and moved up a day to Oct. 16. The Fab Four on Oct. 18 has been moved to the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville.
The Richard Thompson date on Oct. 19 is now scheduled to happen at the Dennis Flyer Theater at Camden County College in Blackwood, N.J. (Thompson and his band are also playing a Free at Noon show at World Cafe Live this Friday.)
Other shows of note that were scheduled for the Lansdowne that have been moved include Renaissance’s “In Gratitude: Farewell Tour,” now scheduled for Oct. 26 at the Scottish Rite, Will Downing & Friends featuring Gerald Veasley’s Nina Simone Project featuring Carol Riddick also at the Scottish Rite on Dec. 1, and Hot Tuna Acoustic at the Levoy Theatre in Millville on Dec. 6.
For more information about rescheduled events and refunds go to lansdownetheater.com or brepresents.com.