Tivoli Theatre

The Tivoli Theatre was opened on New Year's Eve, 1928. It features movies, live stage shows, and concerts and is also available for rent: either the entire building, the loge (two six-seat separate "half balconies"), the Viquesney room or the auditorium, which holds 286.

Built for local artist Ernest Moore Viquesney, and designed by architect Horam Callender, Jr, the theatre is situated on Spencer's Courthouse Square. Its exterior was designed in Mission Revival style, and featured an Atmospheric style auditorium, created to resemble a Spanish courtyard. Nail heads pounded through the back-lit ceiling made it look like there were stars overhead.

In the foyer, a statue of two children playing musical instruments was created by Viquesney himself. The ticket booth was lined with marble and the facade was of white stucco with green trim.

While Viquesney was certainly aware of Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens, he told people in Spencer that "TIVOLI" stood for "This Is Viquesney's Own Little Idea".

Originally the Tivoli was equipped with a Wicks organ and a piano to accompany the silent movies and stage performances. However, by 1929 most theatres had transitioned to "talkies" and the Tivoli was no exception.

By 1950 it was operated by Alliance Theaters Inc. of Indianapolis, IN, and was later purchased by Claude and Edith Flater. They sold the Tivoli around 1963, and John Walker and Ron Reed purchased it in 1971. The theater underwent renovations in the 1970s including the addition of an extension to the stage, making it more versatile for live performances. Walker and Reed successfully operated the movie theatre for many years.

In 1981, the theater received extensive smoke damage from a nearby fire. Walker and Reed spent nearly $50,000 repairing the building. Spencer businessman Norman Dunigan purchased it in 1983, although Walker and Reed continued to operate the theatre. In 1985, a fire started in the Tivoli and caused extensive damage to the front part of the building, including the main lobby, foyer, shops, upstairs apartment, marquee, and exterior facade. Although the auditorium escaped catching fire, it once again received smoke damage. That same year, the theatre closed down temporarily after allowing minors to see the R-rated film "The Teachers". The theater finally closed down in 1999.

In 2001, a group called Friends of the Tivoli was created to explore the possibility of rescuing the old landmark from further decay. The group estimated it would cost over a million dollars just for restoring the Tivoli Theatre, much less purchasing the theater and operating it. In 2005 plans were made for its demolition, but it was then purchased by Owen County Preservation.

The restored Tivoli Theatre reopened on April 11, 2013 with a black tie gala after almost a year of renovations funded by the Cook Group.