\u201cI am just so excited that we\u2019re finally here because it\u2019s been a goal for so long,\u201d McShane Hall said, adding, \u201cIt\u2019s kind of weird. We\u2019re now the landlords and we can\u2019t just walk in but that was the goal and it just is awesome. It\u2019s so exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matt Schultz, executive director\/CEO of the Historic Lansdowne Theater Corp., is credited, along with Bob Jara, board president of the group, with being the driving forces behind the restoration.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DTD-L-LANSDOWNE-0824-05.jpg\")
The concession stand was a flurry of activity at the opening night at the Lansdowne Theater Friday. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve met the goal,\u201d Schultz said in the theater\u2019s lobby Friday night. \u201cThe goal was to return the Lansdowne Theater to public entertainment and we\u2019ve done that. We\u2019ve created a really special space and I can see it on the look on people\u2019s faces that they recognize that it\u2019s a special space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jara agreed, \u201cIt\u2019s so interesting to have everything come to the end \u2026 Matt says the ghost of 1927 will be coming out, going like, \u2018This ain\u2019t a movie.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n
McShane Hall spoke of the theater\u2019s grandeur and how she remembered it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is supposed to be like when you walked in in 1927,\u201d she said of the renovations. \u201cWhen I was here in the \u201960\u2019s and \u201970\u2019s, \u2026 it was showing a little worn.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, it was still a good time.<\/p>\n
Back then, the theater showed contemporary movies. Now, through promoter BRE Presents, it will host live performances.<\/p>\n
![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DTD-L-LANSDOWNE-0824-04.jpg\")
Steve Eberle, left, and Donna Kelly Romero, both board members of the Historic Lansdowne Theater Corp., enjoy the opening of the theater. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)
\n\u2018Grew up here\u2019<\/p>\n
On Friday, many, like McShane Hall, remembered past times visiting the Lansdowne Theater for a show.<\/p>\n
For her and all of her classmates from St. Philomena\u2019s, all day Saturdays were spent watching double features at the theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I grew up here, every Saturday,\u201d McShane Hall said.<\/p>\n
Her friend, Sharon Goodspeed, who also grew up in Lansdowne, had a similar affinity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe very first movie I saw here was \u2018Gone With the Wind\u2019,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, it means a lot to have this back.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recalled doing a tour back in the spring.<\/p>\n
![\"Sharon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DTD-L-LANSDOWNE-0824-06-e1755977289401.jpg\")
Sharon Goodspeed takes a picture of Suzanne McShane Hall and Chris Blidan, right, at the opening of the restored Lansdowne Theater. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n
\u201cI said to Matt when we did a tour on the Delco Gives Day, I said, \u2018It\u2019s more beautiful than when I actually came here as a child,\u2019 \u201d Goodspeed said.<\/p>\n
They along with their friend, Chris Blidan from Media, spoke about the impact the now-opened theater will have on the town and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
Economic ripples<\/p>\n
Goodspeed is director of sales at the Drexelbrook and she\u2019s already seeing the ripple effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a production company that came in pre-renovation,\u201d she said. \u201cThey stayed at the hotel for months, filming here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking forward, there\u2019s a group called Killer Queen, a Queen tribute band, and they\u2019ve already booked their stay at the Drexelbrook for when they\u2019re performing at the Lansdowne Theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen what the Media Theater has done for Media,\u201d Bliden said. \u201cAnd this is on a different level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steve Eberle and Donna Kelly Romero both grew up in Lansdowne.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s surreal,\u201d Romero said of the theater\u2019s transformation. \u201cWe were little kids the last time we were here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She remembered seeing \u201cET\u201d and \u201cThe Natural\u201d at the Lansdowne.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw my first movie here,\u201d Eberle said. \u201cMy first movie was \u2018The Fox and the Hound.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Romero recalled some of the former traditions of seeing a show there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the coolest thing before the movie: just staring at the chandelier, waiting for it to dim,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Eberle shared how it even had its charm and memories in its darker days.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when it was abandoned and musty, I walked in, I had this craving for Junior Mints,\u201d he said as Romero recalled smelling popcorn when she first visited the space three years ago.<\/p>\n
![\"Merchants](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DTD-L-LANSDOWNE-0824-03.jpg\")
Merchants along Lansdowne Avenue were also ready for visitors coming to town for the theater\u2019s opening. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)
\nThe fire, prior revival tries<\/p>\n
Romero remembered when the 1987 fire damaged the theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we felt like, \u2018Oh there\u2019s a fire, they\u2019re going to fix it. It\u2019s going to open back up,\u2019 \u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Eberle also recalled an earlier effort, not associated with the Historic Lansdowne Theater Corp., to try to save it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember my dad bought us all pins,\u201d he said, noting they read,\u00a0\u201cSave the Lansdowne Theater.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a button in my (high school) locker,\u201d Romero said. \u201cI had it on my bookbag. And they had little coffee cans all around town where you could put your change in. So, I\u2019d always put my change in.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Eberle returned to the area five years ago, he decided to join the Historic Lansdowne Theater Corp. board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI moved back to Lansdowne in 2020 after 20 years in Baltimore,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew I wanted to be involved in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
With experience in community organizing in the nonprofit world, Eberle wanted to boost the borough.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was less about the art than the economic development,\u201d he said. \u201cDelaware County deserves more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Labor of love\u2019<\/p>\n
Then, he encouraged his lifelong friend, Romero, to join the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to teach English and I used to teach Bruce Springsteen\u2019s song \u2018My Hometown\u2019 \u201d she said.\u201d Most of his songs are actually sad: the whitewashed windows of my hometown, what it used to be. I used to teach the songs and this is kind of what my hometown is becoming: a shadow of what it had been.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen, you see towns like Media that had its renaissance,\u201d she continued, saying she asked herself, \u201cWhy can\u2019t that happen in Lansdowne?\u201d<\/p>\n
Romero said she liked the switch from movies to live performances.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was OK with it not being a movie theater when I heard it was going to be a concert venue,\u201d she said. \u201cI thought, \u2018Even better. That\u2019s what we need. That\u2019s what we probably always needed.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n
Romero praised Schultz and Jara for their dedication.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a labor of love, mostly for Matt and Bob specifically,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been so inspiring for me to see those two just pursue this relentlessly with such a fervor.\u201d<\/p>\n
She noted the naysayers along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe both heard people say, \u2018It\u2019s never going to happen,\u2019 \u201d she said, adding, \u201cThey\u2019re doing it right and they\u2019re doing it in a way that generations will be able to enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Friday, as she and hundreds of others filled the theater, Romero paused to take in all the architectural beauty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis,\u201d she said, \u201cis stunning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dinner, shopping, show<\/p>\n
Sisters Betty Ann Mager and Kelly Sacchetti had dinner at Backstage Tap + Grille across the street before going to the Lansdowne Theater\u2019s first show in nearly four decades.<\/p>\n
![\"Sisters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/DTD-L-LANSDOWNE-0824-01-e1755977375317.jpg\")
Sisters Kelly Sacchetti, left, and Betty Ann Mager were among the crowd at the first show at the Lansdowne Theater in decades. (KATHLEEN E. CAREY \u2013 DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re so excited that this is opening and we can\u2019t wait to see what it does for the whole general area,\u201d Sacchetti said.<\/p>\n
Mager remembered some of the previous times she had been there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last time I was here was in the \u201980\u2019s,\u201d she said, \u201cIt was so much fun. We used to go in the theater upstairs, too. They had sci-fi movies up there. Really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
They lived in Collingdale then and went to the Lansdowne Theater on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe place was great,\u201d Mager said. \u201cThey had all the up-to-date movies and everything. Even though the seats were torn and all that stuff, it was still a neat thing to be in. You knew that things went on before you were there. They said vaudeville shows and things like that were on the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shared how she and her sister came to town before the show for dinner, then visited some stores.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went there,\u201d she said of Backstage Tap + Grill, \u201cand then, we went in an antique shop. Then, we went in the records store. This whole area will flourish because of this and because of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n
She is looking forward to what will come as she enjoyed seeing all of the enthusiasm of the evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exciting,\u201d Mager said. \u201cWhen you see everybody walking around here and going in all these stores and then, you get to see this theater that has been here forever and see something new, it\u2019s just rebirth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally Published: August 23, 2025 at 10:56 AM EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sharon Goodspeed was driving with Suzanne McShane Hall on their way to the Lansdowne Theater and she paused…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":170600,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,7282,24005,728,50,1448,2830,1311,11104,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-170599","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-delaware-county","10":"tag-lansdowne","11":"tag-local-news","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-pa","14":"tag-pennsylvania","15":"tag-philadelphia","16":"tag-top-stories-dtd","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115081312174670306","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}