The Life and Times of Tower City Cinema


SOURCE: The Cauldron | Jack Brancatelli and Maggie Phillips
September 29, 2020

On August 31st Tower City Cinemas announced it would be closing its doors for good.

Located on the ground floor of Tower City Center, the movie theater had operated for nearly 30 years as the sole downtown provider for the classic movie-going experience (source).

This video examines possible causes for the theater’s closure and highlights the positive experiences the movie theater provided. We interviewed two former Tower City Cinemas employees–James Carter and Khristopher Mitchell–who shared their experiences behind the scenes at the theater. Also featured is Kevin Vaughan, a film professor at CSU, who shares his experience going to the theater and how its closure will impact Cleveland State University students.

While CSU students no longer have a downtown movie theater they can walk to, some Cleveland cinemas are currently open and are just a short bus-ride away. Check out upcoming showtimes for the Cedar Lee Theatre here and Chagrin Cinemas here.