3 Screens. Built in 1924. Operated by Landmark from 1977 to 1991 and from 1999 to present. St. Louis' beloved Tivoli Theatre features the finest in independent film and foreign language cinema. Architecturally and historically, the Tivoli Building is the most prominent edifice in The Loop area of St. Louis. It has a street frontage of 180 feet, is four stories tall, houses seven specialty shops in addition to the theatre, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
On May 24, 1924, the ornate Tivoli Theatre opened to the public. The evening's festivities included speeches by St. Louis Mayor Henry W. Kiel and University City Mayor Warren C. Flynn, a "photoplay" called The Confidence Man, music from the Jules Silberberg Orchestra, Art Lee Utt at the Kilgen Wonder Organ and five vaudeville acts. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch described the theatre as having "luxury and splendor eclipsing that of any other St. Louis theater" and "the piece de resistance of glorified beauty."
Through the years, the Tivoli Theatre went through numerous changes in ownership, suffered a long period of decline and closed in 1994. Joe and Linda Edwards, owners of the nearby Blueberry Hill, bought the building and theatre and began meticulously restoring the Tivoli, bringing it back to its 1924 splendor.
After a renovation costing in excess of $2 million, the Tivoli reopened on May 19, 1995 as a three-screen theater. Architects, designers and sightseers have toured the restored Tivoli Theatre, marveling at the marquee, the 29-foot tall vertical sign, the newly-built box office, the vestibule with its terrazzo floor and ornate ceilings, the new seats, recessed ceiling domes, proscenium arch, side wall arches, stage, orchestra pit and lush burgundy curtain.
Elegant display cases have been filled with movie memorabilia including Marilyn Monroe, Little Rascals, Wizard of Oz and Marx Brothers dolls, a statue of Vincent Price and a plaster Maltese Falcon. Golden-age poster collages and original posters of St. Louis-related movies, actors and actresses line the corridors. With the renovation complete, people could once again enjoy seeing great movies as they were filmed to be seen—on a big screen in an architecturally stunning setting.
