Palace Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
The Palace Theatre is a 2,827-seat restored movie palace
located at 34 W. Broad Street in Columbus Ohio. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb
and was built in 1926 as a part of the American Insurance Union (A.I.U.) Citadel (now the LeVeque Tower
) complex. Today the theater functions as a multi-use performing arts venue. It is owned and operated by CAPA (The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts). The Palace Theater's "house" is considered separate from the Leveque Tower, which the Marquee and lobby are part of the Leveque complex.
in his signature "Adam" style, reminiscent of the 18th century neo-classical work of the Scottish architects James and Robert Adam
. The construction of the theater was personally supervised by vaudeville
mogul Edward Albee
of the Keith-Albee circuit. It opened in 1926 as the Keith-Albee Palace and featured live vaudeville along with silent feature films, an orchestra and a Wurlitzer
theater organ.
The dressing room tower in the backstage area was designed as a small hotel, complete with a “front desk,” where performers picked up their room keys and mail. Kitchen facilities and a children’s playroom were available. The dressing rooms are named after cities on the vaudeville touring routes. The under stage room includes an animal shower and small sanitary stable, along with a ramp built for hoofed animals to help facilitate their transport to and from the stage during the Vaudeville era.
In 1929, the Palace was renamed the RKO (Radio Keith Orpheum) Palace. The theater was closed as a movie theater
by RKO in 1975. It was later renovated and preserved by owner Katherine LeVeque as a home for Opera Columbus and touring Broadway shows. In 1989, the Palace Theatre was purchased by the non-profit theater management company CAPA, which consolidated its administrative functions with those of the Ohio Theatre. The Palace now hosts performances by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
, the Jazz Arts Group, the Broadway Series, and scores of CAPA-sponsored shows.
While the insurance company behind the Citadel complex went bankrupt in the early 1930s, their financial mismanagement did not effect the day to day operations of the RKO Palace Theater.
The Palace's Wurlitzer organ was removed in the 1960s by the Central Ohio Theatre Organ Society and is now installed at Thomas Worthington High School in Worthington, Ohio
.
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
located at 34 W. Broad Street in Columbus Ohio. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas White Lamb was an American architect, born in Scotland. He is noted as one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century.-Career:...
and was built in 1926 as a part of the American Insurance Union (A.I.U.) Citadel (now the LeVeque Tower
LeVeque Tower
The LeVeque Tower is a 47-story Art Deco-style building in Columbus, Ohio. Located at 50 West Broad Street, it was the tallest building in Columbus from 1927 until 1974 when the Rhodes State Office Tower was completed. The LeVeque Tower is tall, which at the time of its completion made it the...
) complex. Today the theater functions as a multi-use performing arts venue. It is owned and operated by CAPA (The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts). The Palace Theater's "house" is considered separate from the Leveque Tower, which the Marquee and lobby are part of the Leveque complex.
History
The Palace Theatre was designed by Thomas W. LambThomas W. Lamb
Thomas White Lamb was an American architect, born in Scotland. He is noted as one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century.-Career:...
in his signature "Adam" style, reminiscent of the 18th century neo-classical work of the Scottish architects James and Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
. The construction of the theater was personally supervised by vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
mogul Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee II
Edward Franklin Albee II was a vaudeville impresario, and the adoptive grandfather of Edward Franklin Albee III, the playwright.-Biography:He was born on October 8, 1857 in Machias, Maine to Nathaniel Smith Albee....
of the Keith-Albee circuit. It opened in 1926 as the Keith-Albee Palace and featured live vaudeville along with silent feature films, an orchestra and a Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
theater organ.
The dressing room tower in the backstage area was designed as a small hotel, complete with a “front desk,” where performers picked up their room keys and mail. Kitchen facilities and a children’s playroom were available. The dressing rooms are named after cities on the vaudeville touring routes. The under stage room includes an animal shower and small sanitary stable, along with a ramp built for hoofed animals to help facilitate their transport to and from the stage during the Vaudeville era.
In 1929, the Palace was renamed the RKO (Radio Keith Orpheum) Palace. The theater was closed as a movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
by RKO in 1975. It was later renovated and preserved by owner Katherine LeVeque as a home for Opera Columbus and touring Broadway shows. In 1989, the Palace Theatre was purchased by the non-profit theater management company CAPA, which consolidated its administrative functions with those of the Ohio Theatre. The Palace now hosts performances by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
The Columbus Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Columbus, Ohio. The oldest performing arts organization in the city, its home is the Ohio Theatre. The orchestra's current President and Chief Creative Officer is Roland Valliere...
, the Jazz Arts Group, the Broadway Series, and scores of CAPA-sponsored shows.
While the insurance company behind the Citadel complex went bankrupt in the early 1930s, their financial mismanagement did not effect the day to day operations of the RKO Palace Theater.
The Palace's Wurlitzer organ was removed in the 1960s by the Central Ohio Theatre Organ Society and is now installed at Thomas Worthington High School in Worthington, Ohio
Worthington, Ohio
-Dissolution of the Company:By August 11, 1804 the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres of the Scioto Company's purchase...
.