Connor Palace facts for kids
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Palace Theatre
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| Former names | Palace Theatre (1922–2014) |
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| Address | 1615 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio United States |
| Owner | Playhouse Square Foundation |
| Type | Vaudeville theatre |
| Capacity | 2,714 |
| Current use | Performing arts center |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1922 |
| Rebuilt | 1973 |
| Architect | Rapp & Rapp |
| Website | |
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Connor Palace
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Added to NRHP | October 5, 1978 |
The Connor Palace is a famous theater located in Cleveland, Ohio. It's also known as the Palace Theatre and was once called the RKO Palace. This amazing building is part of Playhouse Square, a big entertainment area in downtown Cleveland.
Contents
Building the Palace Theatre
Construction on the Connor Palace started in the early 1920s. It was the last of four main theaters built in Cleveland's historic Playhouse Square. It was also the most expensive, costing about $2 to $3.5 million.
The Vision of Edward Albee
Edward F. Albee built this theater along with three others: the Allen Theatre, Ohio Theatre, and State Theater. Albee was a famous vaudeville show producer. He wanted Playhouse Square to be the most important place for his company, Keith-Albee Orpheum.
The theater was first named the B. F. Keith-Albee Palace Theatre. This was to honor Albee's partner, Benjamin Franklin Keith, who had passed away earlier. John Lorange, called "the Father of Playhouse Square" by newspapers, also helped with this project. He and his partners bought land along Euclid Avenue. They wanted to make this area, which had become run-down, a new center for entertainment in the Midwest.
Overcoming Doubts
Many people in Cleveland were excited about the idea. They hoped Cleveland would become an entertainment hub like New York City and Broadway. However, some people had doubts. The area, known as Doan's Corner, was thought to be worthless. A real estate expert had even warned people to stay away from it.
Albee and his partner had faced similar doubts before in Boston. But Albee ignored the critics. Playhouse Square and the Palace Theatre became a huge success.
Amazing Design and Features
The Chicago company Rapp and Rapp designed the theater in the French Renaissance style. It had 154 chandeliers, most of which are still there today. The theater could seat 3,100 people. The inside was decorated with over a hundred paintings and artworks by famous artists. The main lobby, called the Main Hall, was like an art gallery. It held 30 paintings, including works by European masters like Corot and Poussin.
A popular spot for visitors is the Blue Urn, which is still near the main entrance. It was made in Sevres, Italy, before World War I. Albee himself chose it from an antique shop. It weighs 325 pounds and is made of porcelain and Numidian marble. The theater was built inside the Keith Building. This building had the largest electric sign in the world on its roof. The modern Playhouse Square sign today is a tribute to that original sign.
The theater had many cool features that attracted famous vaudeville performers. The backstage area alone had an indoor golf course, a barber shop, a manicure table, a billiard room, and even a children's playroom. It also had a special bronze switchboard with a marble border, which was unique at the time. The theater's walls were painted a deep mulberry color. People called it "Albee Red" because Albee loved that color.
Another special part of the theater was a marble fireplace at the stage entrance. It cost about $2,000 back then, which is like $32,459 today. The stage itself was huge: 59 feet wide, 35 feet high, and 90 feet deep. There were seven floors of dressing rooms, each with elevator access. Each room was named after a different state. They even had a separate room with a shower, bathtub, and medicine cabinet. The dressing rooms were fancy, with dressing tables that had automatic lighting, full-length mirrors, walk-in closets, and small kitchens.
The entire theater was designed with marble and gold. This made it look very grand. The marble came from Carrara, Italy, the same place where the marble for Michelangelo's David came from. Albee was very careful about the marble. He would go to the docks where it arrived and spray it with water. This showed any unusual marks or colors, and he would handpick each piece he wanted for the theater.
The theater also had one of the largest woven carpets in the world. It ran from one end of the hall, up the staircase, and down the main lobby. It was handmade in Czechoslovakia. The theater held many valuable antiques, which made it seem like a very high-class place. Just before opening, Albee hired John F. Royal as the manager. Some people thought Royal was too young and didn't have enough experience. But Royal had worked his way up in Albee's company and was a great showman. Once everything was ready, the theater was set for its grand opening.
Opening and Early Years
The Palace Theatre opened on November 6, 1922. Vaudeville star Elsie Janis was the main performer. The show was completely sold out. Many important people from the entertainment world attended. This included Marcus Loew, who started MGM film studio, and Adolph Zukor, one of the founders of Paramount Pictures. Famous vaudeville stars and theater critics also came.
A Grand Success
The Grand Opening was a big success. Critics called the Palace Theatre "the finest theatre in the world." From 1922 to 1926, the theater was incredibly popular. It hosted live vaudeville shows twice a day. Famous performers like Fanny Brice, Mae West, and Fred Astaire appeared there. In 1923, a show called "The Unknown Lady" was removed after a local minister complained about its content.
In 1926, the Goodrich Silvertown Orchestra performed for three nights. The famous Silver Masked Tenor was part of this show. His true identity was a mystery for years until he was revealed to be Joseph M. White. He was so popular from radio shows that police had to escort him to and from the theater.
George Burns and Gracie Allen were married on the Palace Theatre stage in 1926. The theater also hosted minstrel shows between 1922 and 1928, which were very popular. Interestingly, the Palace also welcomed African American entertainers. This included the comedy group Williams and Walker Co., who used comedy to challenge harmful stereotypes.
The Rise of Movies
Even though the Palace Theatre was built for vaudeville, people became more interested in radio and movies. This caused fewer people to attend live shows. In 1925, the theater manager, James Weed, added a movie screen because people wanted it.
First Films at the Palace
The first film shown was a silent film by John Ford called "The Iron Horse". It was about building the Trans-Continental Railroad. Tickets cost 25 cents. In 1926, the Palace Theatre showed the first talking movie in Ohio after speakers were installed.
In the summer of 1926, movies were added to the Palace's summer program. The first film was "The Volga Boatman", a silent film starring William Boyd. Vaudeville shows with stars like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby continued. But movies became the main attraction.
In December 1928, the Akron Motion Picture Theatre Owners' Association offered membership to theaters showing both vaudeville and film, including the Palace. In January 1929, the first technicolor film was shown. It featured famous movie stars modeling the newest fashions. In the 1930s, the theater was renamed RKO Theater. RKO theaters often showed films starring William Boyd. Many talking movies were shown in 1930, including "The Life of the Party".
In 1933, prohibition ended in America. Ohio was one of the first states to allow alcohol sales. So, the theater added two new bars and started selling drinks during shows.
In 1937, a young man who used to deliver mail for "The Plain Dealer" performed his comedy sketch at the theater for the fourth time. The manager encouraged him to try Hollywood. The young man said he didn't have money for a train ticket. But the manager believed in him so much that he paid for it. That young man later became the famous comedian Red Skelton.
The End of Vaudeville
Vaudeville continued to decline as the Great Depression made people look for cheaper entertainment. The theater started showing more films and fewer live acts. By the 1950s, vaudeville was completely gone, and the theater stopped having live performances.
New Technology and Decline
In 1952, a new movie technology called Cinerama came out. It created movie screens three times larger than before. In 1956, RKO management decided to install Cinerama screens in the theater. This meant removing 1,800 seats to make space. The new system opened on November 14, 1956, and people lined up outside the theater. However, this success didn't last long, and ticket sales dropped in the late 1950s and 1960s.
After World War II, many people moved to the suburbs. Also, more and more people had televisions. This meant fewer people went to the theater district for entertainment. By March 1969, Playhouse Square was in bad shape. Only the Hanna and Palace Theatres were still open. Newspapers had been predicting the theater's closing for months. Many articles looked back at the good old days of vaudeville.
The Palace Theatre finally closed on July 30, 1969. The air conditioning broke during a showing of "Krakatoa, East of Java". The theater closed for repairs and never reopened. The news of its closing was overshadowed by the news that day that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong had successfully landed on the moon.
Saving the Palace Theatre
The Palace Theatre was empty for a few years. It seemed like this once-great entertainment spot would be forgotten. Then, on May 25, 1972, "The Plain Dealer" newspaper reported that the city planned to tear down the theaters to build a parking lot. However, a local group called the "Playhouse Square Association" had formed in the late 1960s. They wanted to save the theaters.
A Community Effort
Led by Ray Sheperdson, their goal was to fix up the four main theaters, including the Palace Theatre. They hoped to bring Cleveland's theater district back to life. In 1970, they became a non-profit group and started raising money. A local lawyer, Oliver "Pudge" Henkle, convinced city officials to temporarily stop the demolition. This gave the group more time.
Several groups in Cleveland helped the Playhouse Square Association. "The Junior League of Cleveland" gave $25,000 to start the project. In 1973, Sheperdson's group had enough money to get a temporary lease for the Palace Theatre. They started holding Cabaret shows in the partly reopened theater to raise more money.
In 1976, the Playhouse Square Association joined with Playhouse Square Operating Co. They formed the Playhouse Square Foundation. They hired architect Van Dijik to help with renovations. He had the idea to connect the lobbies of all four theaters. This would create one giant theater complex.
In 1977, the group got permanent leases for three of the four main theaters, including the Palace Theatre. This meant they were all managed by the same group for the first time. Finally, in October 1978, Playhouse Square was added to the National Registry of Historic Places. This protected it from being torn down in the future. Saving the Palace Theatre and Playhouse Square is considered one of Cleveland's top achievements.
Reopening the Palace
On April 30, 1988, the Palace Theatre reopened to the public after a $34.5 million renovation. Many things were fixed, but The Playhouse Square Foundation worked hard to keep the theater as close to its original design as possible. However, years of damage and neglect had ruined much of the original building.
New Features and Old Charm
They removed the 1950s Cinema Screen and put in a larger, more modern one. They also added a large organ that was originally in the Liberty Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The "world's largest woven rug" was replaced with new carpeting in the main lobby. Many original antiques and chandeliers had been sold or stolen, including a $500,000 art collection. But thankfully, the original Palace Czechoslovak crystal chandeliers remained.
The theater changed its name for the third time during its ten-year restoration, from RKO Theatre back to Palace Theatre. After its restoration, the Palace Theatre was the second-largest theater in Playhouse Square.
Tickets for the grand reopening cost from $65 to $1000, but they still sold out. The reopening was so exciting that they held a fundraiser called "Cooking at the Palace." Restaurants from all fifty states competed to provide food for the event.
The grand opening started at 6 PM with a ribbon cutting and candle lighting. Dinner and drinks were served, and guests enjoyed music from an orchestra. A gala was held with Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick, a famous director and pop singer who had stopped working together but reunited for the Palace Theatre's reopening. The gala was supposed to be on the Palace Theatre stage, but with 1,500 guests, they moved it to the larger State Theatre stage.
The grand reopening also showed the public the plans for the Playhouse Square Hotel. The day after the reopening, the theater held a free open house for anyone to tour the newly renovated building. The theater was back to its former glory, with famous performers like Cher, Whoopi Goldberg, and Wayne Newton appearing there.
Connor Theatre Today
The Palace Theatre continued to do well in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Along with the three other major theaters, it is part of the largest theater complex outside of New York City. In the late 1980s, it started offering a wider variety of entertainment beyond vaudeville. This included a very popular speaker series with people like film star Gregory Peck, opera singer Beverly Sills, former First lady Barbara Bush, and State General Colin Powell.
The theater also continued to host traditional entertainment, such as major Broadway shows. For the theater's 80th birthday, Playhouse Square asked a local bakery to recreate a three-tiered anniversary cake. This cake had been ceremonially cut by actor Danny Kane for the theater's 25th anniversary in 1947.
The theater kept growing. In 2001, it started an Education Department to help fund school trips to the theater. On its 93rd birthday, it was renamed for the fourth and final time to Connor Palace Theatre. This was to honor the Connor Family of Huntington Valley, Ohio. They donated $9 million to the "Advance the Legacy: The Campaign for Playhouse Square." This fundraiser collected $35 million, the largest amount ever raised by the organization.
The money helped pay for important updates to the theater's plumbing and electrical systems, and for new shows. The Connor family wrote with their donation, "With this gift, the Connor family applauds the excellent work of the Playhouse Square leadership team in preserving these beautiful theaters as well as the revitalization efforts for their entire downtown neighborhood." The theater had one final renovation in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
