Palace Theatre (Canton, Ohio) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Palace Theater
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Front Facade, facing Market Ave.
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 605 Market Ave., N., Canton, Ohio |
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| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1926 |
| Architect | John Eberson |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001949 |
| Added to NRHP | April 26, 1979 |
The Palace Theater is a really old and special movie theater in downtown Canton, Ohio, United States. It was built a long time ago, in the 1920s, when big, fancy movie theaters were very popular. Because it's so old and important, it's now known as a historic site.
The screen at the Palace Theater is huge, measuring 21 feet by 46 feet. That makes it the biggest screen in Canton! The theater also has a special Kilgen theater organ. This amazing organ still plays today because it was carefully fixed up in 1992. Only a few dozen organs like it are still working in their original places.
Contents
History of the Palace Theater
How the Palace Theater Was Built
The Palace Theater was designed by John Eberson. He was a famous architect who specialized in creating beautiful movie palaces. The theater first opened its doors in November 1926.
A kind businessman from Canton named Harry Ink helped pay for the theater. His company made a medicine called "Tonseline" for sore throats. The company's logo was a giraffe with a bandaged throat. You can even find a giraffe like that in the theater's design!
What Happened at the Palace Theater
In its early years, the Palace Theater was a very busy place. It showed regular movies, but it also hosted vaudeville shows. Vaudeville was a type of entertainment with different acts like singing, dancing, and comedy.
The theater also held many community events. This made the Palace Theater a very important part of life in Canton.
The Theater's Unique Design
The Palace Theater is built from brick and has special clay decorations called terracotta. It's a rectangular building with a unique style called Churrigueresque.
The main part of the theater, where people watch movies, looks like a beautiful garden. The ceiling is designed to look like the night sky and dawn, with many stars twinkling. The auditorium can hold 1,509 people.
The front of the building has different sections. A tall sign rises above the rest of the building in the middle. A large sign, called a marquee, sticks out over the entrance. It protects the area under the tall sign and the sections next to it. There are also windows near the bottom on the sides of the building.
Why the Palace Theater is Historic
The Palace Theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It earned this special status for two main reasons. First, its amazing architecture is very important. Second, it played a big role in the history of the Canton community.
Being a historic site helps the theater. For example, in 2012, people raised money to make improvements to the building. They wanted to fix things like the utilities and the outside of the theater.
The Palace Theater Today
The Amazing Kilgen Organ
The theater's special Kilgen Wonder Organ is still used today. It plays music to go along with silent films. These are old movies that didn't have sound.
A volunteer organist named Jay Spencer is very well known in Canton for his great silent film performances. People have even called the organ "a showpiece all by itself" because it's so impressive.
Ghost Stories and Volunteers
Besides regular movie events, the Palace Theater has also welcomed ghost hunters. They come to look for the spirit of a young woman who had a sad event happen to her in the theater in the 1930s.
The theater relies on many helpful people. It uses 228 volunteers who donate over 4,000 hours of their time each year!
Recent Events and Streaming
In 2020, many events had to be canceled. However, some silent films were shown online through streaming. Over 14,000 people watched these films from their homes. The films were shown in the empty theater with only the technical director and organist present.
