Morris Performing Arts Center facts for kids
Front of the center
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| Former names | Palace Theatre Morris Civic Auditorium |
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| Address | 211 N. Michigan St. South Bend, Indiana United States |
| Owner | City of South Bend |
| Operator | Morris Entertainment, Inc. |
| Type | Vaudeville house |
| Capacity | 2,564 |
| Current use | Performing arts center |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1922 |
| Reopened | March 3, 2000 |
| Website | |
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Palace Theatre
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 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Architect | J.S. Aroner; Ralph Sollitt Co. |
| Architectural style | Spanish Renaissance Revival |
| MPS | Downtown South Bend Historic MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 85001226 |
| Added to NRHP | June 5, 1985 |
The Morris Performing Arts Center is a large concert hall in South Bend, Indiana. It has 2,564 seats for people to enjoy shows. When it first opened in 1922, it was called the Palace Theatre. It started as a place for vaudeville shows, which were live performances with singing, dancing, and comedy acts. Later, it became a movie palace, showing films.
The building is made of brick and has a special style called Spanish Renaissance Revival. This means it looks like buildings from the Renaissance period in Spain. It also has beautiful decorations made of terra cotta, which is a type of baked clay. In 1959, there were plans to tear it down, but thankfully, it was saved! Between 1998 and 2000, the building was carefully fixed up and made new again.
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Inside the Morris Center
The inside of the Morris Performing Arts Center is very colorful. It has a mix of rose, blue, and cream colors, just like when it first opened. The stage is quite big, measuring about 56 feet by 57 feet. It has a beautiful red and gold main curtain that was added during the restoration in 2000.
What Happens on Stage
The Morris Center is home to the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. This means you can often hear amazing classical music there. It also hosts many other exciting events. You can see popular Broadway shows, big concerts with famous musicians, and other special performances. Even high school graduation ceremonies, like the one for Marian High School, take place here.
Seating and Design
The theater's design was inspired by old European buildings. It has two main levels for seating. More than half of the seats, about 1,282 of them, are in the balcony, which is the upper level. The rest of the seats are on the lower level, closer to the stage.
A Historic Building
The Morris Performing Arts Center is considered a very important building. In 1985, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a special list of places in the United States that are important for their history or their unique design. The Morris Center earned its spot because it played a big part in the history of the area and because of its beautiful and historic architecture.
Celebrating 100 Years
In 2022, the Morris Performing Arts Center celebrated a huge milestone: its 100th birthday! To mark this special anniversary, a documentary about the theater's history was shown on the local PBS TV channel, WNIT-TV, on November 2nd of that year.
