Royal Theatre (Baltimore) facts for kids

The Royal Theatre was a very famous place in Baltimore, Maryland. It first opened in 1922 as the Douglass Theatre. It was a special theater owned by African Americans. The Royal Theatre was the most well-known theater on Pennsylvania Avenue in West Baltimore.

It was part of a group of five important theaters for Black entertainers in big cities. Other theaters like it were the Apollo in Harlem, the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., the Regal Theatre in Chicago, and the Earl Theater in Philadelphia.

A Stage for Stars

Many of the biggest stars in entertainment performed at the Royal Theatre. This included famous jazz and blues musicians.

Who Performed at the Royal?

• Cab Calloway
• Ethel Waters (she performed there for the first time!)
• Pearl Bailey (she sang in a group of singers)
• Louis Armstrong (he played music for others)
• Fats Waller (he also played music for others)
• Louis Jordan
• Duke Ellington
• The Tympany Five
• Etta James
• Nat King Cole
• The Platters
• The Temptations
• The Supremes
• the Sweethearts of Rhythm (a 40-person, all-female band with Count Basie)

The Royal Theatre also showed Baltimore City's first talking motion picture. This was Scar of Shame in 1929, which had an all-Black cast. In November 1963, Solomon Burke was even named the "King of Rock 'n' Soul" right here.

The Theatre's Later Years

During the 1960s and 1970s, the area around the Royal Theatre faced challenges. Many families moved away from Old West Baltimore. The Pennsylvania Avenue area was also damaged during difficult times in the community. Because of these changes, the entire neighborhood began to decline.

Why the Royal Theatre Closed

At the time of these community challenges, the Royal Theatre was owned by the JF Theatres chain. In 1971, the Royal Theatre was torn down.

Remembering the Royal Theatre

Even though the Royal Theatre is gone, people wanted to remember its important history.

The Royal Theater Monument

A group called the Pennsylvania Avenue Redevelopment Collaborative (PARC) worked for seven years to create a monument. They worked with the Mayor's Office and many community groups. In 2004, the Royal Theater Marquee Monument was built. This monument was meant to be the first step in bringing new life to the area.

However, much of Pennsylvania Avenue has changed a lot. The old buildings are gone, and no theaters are left there today. Where the Royal Theatre once stood, there is a sign that says "Royal Theatre Memorial Park." But for now, it is mostly a fenced-in area.