Historic Lansdowne Theater Corporation

Mission The Historic Lansdowne Theater Corporation, a not-for-profit 501-c3 public charity, was formed to acquire, restore and operate one of the last remaining movie palaces in the Philadelphia region as a financially viable performing arts center to encourage community and economic development in the Borough of Lansdowne and surrounding communities, to promote performing arts and to provide enhanced educational opportunities for area students in an accessible, state of the art, affordable venue serving Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Vision The re-opened 1,280 seat theater will be an economic catalyst for the Lansdowne Borough business district and a performing arts cultural center providing affordable access to regional and nationally known artist to residents of Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. The estimated 100,000 annual theater patrons will stimulate business creation and create job opportunities for lower income residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. The underserved William Penn School District will hold district-wide events in the theater and students and not-for-profit organizations will have a venue to develop and demonstrate their talents. Theater patrons will appreciate performances in a unique, historically preserved state-of-the-arts facility.

The re-opened 1,280 seat theater will be an economic catalyst for the Lansdowne Borough business district and a performing arts cultural center providing affordable access to regional and nationally known artist to residents of Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. The estimated 100,000 annual theater patrons will stimulate business creation and create job opportunities for lower income residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. The underserved William Penn School District will hold district-wide events in the theater and students and not-for-profit organizations will have a venue to develop and demonstrate their talents. Theater patrons will appreciate performances in a unique, historically preserved state-of-the-arts facility.

Goal One: Raise capital and seek financing to restore the Lansdowne Theater to its 1927 glory, as a modern day live music venue.

New board members (and incoming board officers) were brought up to speed on current developments in respective committees.

Final costs for our construction project came back over a million dollars more than expected due tot he sharp inflation of the past 18 months. Our Executive Director, at the direction of the Board, sought and retained public funds from all levels of government in a matter of about a month (borough, county, state, and federal). Our ability to adapt to the changing world kept the project afloat, with a yeoman's effort from the Executive Director. As a result, on July 24th, 2023, after 15 years of fundraising and navigating the complex financed, a ground breaking event was held.