ST. LOUIS, Mo. – It’s a familiar site along the Delmar Loop. The Tivoli Theatre and sign out front. During 2020 the theatre like many, closed due to COVID.
“It was my first building after Blueberry Hill that actually got me involved in real estate and helped the Loop’s progression through the decades,” says Joe Edwards, Developer. “I took a big chance. I owed no money when I bought that. The Post-Dispatch had a photo on the front page that said closed for good. It just pierced my heart. I said I have to do something, and I did.”
Yes, he did. Originally opened to the public in 1924, it closed as a movie theatre in 1994 and reopened in 1995 as a home for independent and unique cinema after Edwards renovated it, spending more than $2 million to restore the once 1400 seat theatre into three theaters.
The Delmar Loop developer was ready for the 2021 season when his longtime tenants approached with a proposal.
“They’re going to continue this dream of the Loop and the movie theatre for decades to come,” says Edwards. “They’ve been here over ten years as tenants. And I wouldn’t sell to anyone else except they have that same drive and inspirational thought about how important the Delmar Loop is, how diverse it is. How everyone mixes. So, I’m putting it in good hands.”
That would Pastor Brent Roam and the One Family Church. The non-denominational church has been holding a Sunday service in the Tivoli space for ten years.
Details of the deal are still to be finalized over the next six weeks. Edwards hopes to watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Tivoli once again.
One Family Church intends to reopen the theatre in the fall 2021.
