August 01, 2025
Provided Image/Richard Ratner
Delaware County's Lansdowne Theater is opening its doors for the first time in nearly 40 years this month.
The multi-million-dollar restoration project on Delaware County's Lansdowne Theater is almost complete, with its first live show since 1987 scheduled for later this month.
Original features of the nearly century old building have been restored and a lineup of showcases will usher in a new era for the venue.
The theater's nonprofit owner Historic Lansdowne Theater Corporation and tenant BRE Presents first announced in June that it would reopen on Friday, Aug. 22, with Academy Award-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri's one-man show "A Bronx Tale."
From Sept. 20 to Dec. 6, eight performances ranging from tribute bands to Christmas shows are scheduled at the restored site, and tickets can be purchased online. The Lansdowne Theater, located at 31 N. Lansdowne Ave., opened on June 1, 1927, as a movie house and stood for decades before an electrical fire in 1987 forced it to shut down and undergo extensive repairs.
Through the theater's prolonged closure, its legacy lived on. The venue even stood as a backdrop for scenes in the 2012 award-winning "Silver Linings Playbook" starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.
The Lansdowne Theater underwent a major construction project to restore its original 1927 look.
A $21 million plan to restore the building was in the works for over a decade before ground was finally broken in 2023. The project called for a complete overhaul of the building's structure while also aiming to restore the original condition and design of the theater, including its chandelier arrangements, tile work and paintings.
New plush seats were installed in the auditorium, which holds about 1,280 people, and an addition was constructed to the back of the building to house dressing rooms and production offices, said Rich Mancinelli, vice president of booking and marketing with BRE Presents.
"The entire venue was restored to its original 1927 condition and look from top to bottom," Mancinelli said. "It's like a brand new, 100-year-old building. It's really rare."
The project's commitment to restoring its legacy was recognized with a Historic Preservation Award from Preservation Pennsylvania, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting historic places around the state.
"Every detail — from Art Deco lighting to painted plasterwork — was restored or re-created with care," the award dedication said. "This community-led effort balances preservation and economic viability, proving the power of grassroots determination."
