Palace Theater (Waterbury, Connecticut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Palace Theater
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | 100 E. Main St., Waterbury, Connecticut |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1921 |
| Architect | Lamb, Thomas W. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, 2nd Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001284 |
| Added to NRHP | June 30, 1983 |
The Palace Theater is a grand old building in downtown Waterbury, Connecticut. It's a huge place with 2,900 seats, perfect for watching live shows! Today, you can catch all sorts of entertainment here. It hosts big traveling plays and fun local events.
This amazing theater was built way back in 1921. It was designed by a famous architect named Thomas W. Lamb. He used a beautiful style called Renaissance Revival. After many years, the theater got a big makeover in the early 2000s. It's so special that it's even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
What Does the Palace Theater Look Like?
The Palace Theater stands proudly in downtown Waterbury. It's on East Main Street, near the city green. The building is about 125 feet wide along the street.
Right next to the main entrance, there are a few small shops. A large marquee sticks out over the sidewalk, covering the entrance. The theater building is four stories tall. The middle part of the upper floors has the most fancy decorations.
The second floor has groups of three windows in each section. A decorative ledge, called a cornice, separates this floor from the top two. The upper floors have tall, rounded windows. These windows have round columns on their sides. Fancy columns called pilasters separate them. A decorative band and another cornice top off the building. Inside, the lobby and the main show area are very richly decorated.
A Look at the Palace Theater's History
The Palace Theater opened its doors in 1922. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb. He was one of the best theater designers of his time. When it first opened, people thought it was the best place in Waterbury for shows.
It hosted exciting vaudeville acts and showed the newest movies. The theater was part of a big business owned by Sylvester Z. Poli. He owned as many as thirty theaters, mostly in the northeastern United States.
Today, only two of Poli's theaters still exist in some form. The Palace Theater is one of them, and it's incredibly well-preserved! The theater closed in 1987. It stayed closed for eighteen years. Then, it got a huge $30 million restoration. The Tomasso Group completed this work. The Palace Theater reopened in 2004, ready for new shows and audiences.
See also
