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 |
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Connor Palace
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Part of | Playhouse Square (ID78002041) |
| Added to NRHP | October 5, 1978 |
The Connor Palace, also known as the Palace Theatre, is a famous theater located in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It's part of a large group of theaters called Playhouse Square. This beautiful building first opened its doors in 1922. It was originally named Keith's Palace Theatre after its founder, B. F. Keith.
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A Grand Opening
The Palace Theatre opened on November 6, 1922. It cost $2 million to build, which was a huge amount of money back then! The theater was designed by a company called Rapp and Rapp. They made it look like a fancy French Renaissance building.
When it first opened, the theater had seats for 3,100 people. Inside, it was super luxurious. There was shiny Carrara marble and 154 sparkling crystal chandeliers. The main lobby was even called the "Great Hall." It was decorated with more than 30 beautiful paintings.
From Live Shows to Movies
The Palace Theatre first showed live vaudeville acts. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with different performers like singers, dancers, and comedians. These shows happened twice a day!
Over time, movies became more popular. So, the theater started showing films instead of just live acts. Even though movies took over, some vaudeville shows stayed until the 1950s. The theater was even changed to show special widescreen movies called Cinerama. This change meant removing 1,800 seats.
On July 20, 1969, the theater closed down. It had problems with its air conditioning and also faced money troubles.
A New Beginning
In November 1973, a group called the Playhouse Square Foundation took over the Palace. They started putting on smaller shows to get people interested in saving the theater. Their goal was to bring Playhouse Square back to life.
In 1978, the Palace Theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building.
After a big renovation project that cost $36.4 million, the Palace completely reopened in 1988. It now has 2,714 seats. This makes it the second-largest theater in all of Playhouse Square.
Why the Name Changed
In 2014, the Palace Theatre got a new name: the Connor Palace. This happened because the Connor Family made a very generous donation of nine million dollars. This money helped the Playhouse Square Foundation with their projects.
A Famous Moment
A famous comedy duo, George Burns and Gracie Allen, got married on the stage of the Palace Theatre! This happened in 1926. A justice of the peace performed the ceremony right there.
