Designed by the Philadelphia-based architectural firm of Magaziner, Eberhard & Harris, the theatre is located on 2240 N. Broad Street.

Opened on February 16, 1929, the 2,040 seat, 50,000 square foot[2] Uptown Theater was built for sound, specifically the new talkies of the time, made by Warner Brothers.

[citation needed] In addition to the new immigrants, North Philadelphia also became the home to many fashionable mansions of the upper and upper-middle class.

Executives from nearby factories lived in Victorian brownstones, some with turrets and mansard roofs, which lined the streets of North Philly.

[4] Lower North Philadelphia in particular housed a number of the nouveau riche; ambitious first or second generation immigrants or that had made their fortunes starting manufacturing firms.

Each show consisted of multiple artists, usually ten to twelve acts, and they performed in order of popularity.

Not only did musicians perform at the Uptown Theater, but comedians such as Redd Foxx and Flip Wilson used to open for the acts.

Hall, who attended the nearby Temple University, won a talent show playing with his then group, the Temptones.

The group, backed by the James Brown Band, won the contest thus getting Hall his first record deal.

The money generated at these shows went to charities of Georgie Woods' choice, regardless of creed, color or religion.

In 1967, Georgie Woods staged a special show for wounded veterans from the Vietnam War that were from the Philadelphia area.

In 1963, Georgie Woods, Jackie Wilson, and Del Shields won awards at the Uptown Theater from the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP for being entertainers that were actively involved in civil rights.

Also, the famous 1964 Philadelphia race riot happened blocks from the theater, and when it occurred Commissioner Howard R. Leary had Georgie Woods come talk to and calm down the crowd, which eventually dispersed as per his request.

[10] His influence on the community was so great, showing how important the Uptown Theater was for the residents of North Philadelphia.

There were dozens of factories, numerous clubs along Columbia Avenue, shops and restaurants all over the place, and the Uptown, which evolved into a mecca for live music.

[5] Many family owned businesses around the theater became popular spots for the performers and audience members alike.

Many of the performers would eat at Miss Pearl's house, which was located right behind the venue on Carlisle Street.

The neighborhood was often noted to be tight-knit, where many people living in the area worked in the nearby factories and knew each other by name.

The area surrounding the theater was also unique in that it did not provide a lot of space for parking, so many people walked or took public transportation to the Uptown.

A church group held services there until a 1991 storm damaged the roof, allowing water to pucker the painted walls and corrode the gilded auditorium.