The Recher/rɛkɜːr/ is a concert venue in Towson, Maryland. It is located at 512 York Road in the building previously operated as the Towson Theatre, a one-screen movie theater.[1] The Towson Theatre was designed by architect John Ahlers of the George Norbury MacKenzie III architectural firm. It cost $100,000 to build and opened on March 1, 1928.[2] The theatre was sold to the Recher family in the 1950s, who continued running the cinema into the 1990s.[1] They then converted it into an upscale billiard parlor.[2] The building was later transformed into The Recher Theatre, a concert venue, which opened in 1999.
The Recher Theater closed in 2013.[3] It enjoyed a strong run as one of the area's premier music venues, but was eventually squeezed out by larger venues.[5] The Recher ended its days as a live music staple with a sold-out fundraising concert titled "The Last Hurrah!" featuring 17 bands, many of which had played at the Recher over the last decade.[1][6] The bands performing included The Hint, American Diary, Thin Dark Line, Dropout Year, All Mighty Senators, Warren Boes/Andy Belt, Burning Rosewood, Shane from Valencia, Evan Michael, The Everlove/Adelphi, Japan 4 Japan 4 band shows, Hectic Red, Technicolor Minivan, Oh the Story, Brighter Shades, Rob Fahey & Pieces, Monday Night Social Club Band, Serena Miller & Riot, The Regal Begals, and Ashes Remain.[6] All proceeds were donated to Catherine's Fund For Cystic Fibrosis, associated with the Maryland Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.[6]
The Recher Theatre space was converted into a nightclub known as Torrent Nightclub.[7] The change was attributed to the rise of popularity of DJs and electronic dance music.[1] Recher said, "The market for live music is down, and the local music scene, as well, wasn't what it used to be."[5] After nearly a year of construction, the Torrent Nightclub opened on Thursday, Feb 13, 2014, featuring British DJs EC Twins.[5]
Reopening
In June 2020, owner Brian Recher announced that the space would rebrand and reopen as The Recher at a future date.[8] It was revealed in early March 2021 that The Recher would reopen on March 19, 2021, initially with limited capacity shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
