What a perfect place to bring live theater back into the area! Before someone broke the glass to the front doors of the theater, I was able to contact the owner to check out the inside of this lavishly designed palace. What a mess! It killed me inside to see such a pretty place in such bad shape. The theater offered a beautiful balcony that was horrible sectioned off into 2 spererate theaters. As my tour through the darkness was only guided by a small flashlight, I missed a lot of the detailing. The walls were painted a rich red color and a large chandelier hung in the main part of the theater. It felt like I was walking through a haunted house. My tour guide warned me of bums that would sneak in to find a dry place to sleep. GREAT! I was guided down to a door which lead to the stage. To my surprise it opened into a hallway that had bathrooms to the right and a staircase ahead to the stage. Once we got to the stage I was able to see a little better. This theater reminded me of an old vodvill palace. It wasnâ€\t just an old movie theater. It had a green room and dressing rooms that were built below the stage. Since most of the lights in the theater didnâ€\t work, I didnâ€\t dare venture into the dark dungeons (rooms) below. Above me I could see there was fly space and a fully designed pulley and weight system for hanging and fling in sets. Stage lighting was very minimal. Below the front of the stage was a sectioned area for an orchestra pit. Towards the end of my tour my guide took me out front of the theater to a random door which lead to a flight of stairs. Up the freaky staircase was a hallway with random rooms and offices. These offices and rooms were attached to the windows that lineup behind the marquee sign. It was sort of like going back in time. Most of the rooms were filled with random storage. WHAT A MESS! Once I found out that this wasn’t just a movie theater I got excited. At the time I had heard news that the local Mayer was interested in refurbishing the theater, but not enough parking was available for such a large space. Plus the water damage was pretty bad. The owner at the time had the theater on the market. Oh how I wish I could win the lottery, but I don’t think enough money in the world would bring this palace back to it’s glory. Not with all the wonderful things the city had in store for the owner.
If anyone has plans to refurbish please keep me in mind. Would love to be a part of the whole before and after.
James
What a perfect place to bring live theater back into the area! Before someone broke the glass to the front doors of the theater, I was able to contact the owner to check out the inside of this lavishly designed palace. What a mess! It killed me inside to see such a pretty place in such bad shape. The theater offered a beautiful balcony that was horrible sectioned off into 2 spererate theaters. As my tour through the darkness was only guided by a small flashlight, I missed a lot of the detailing. The walls were painted a rich red color and a large chandelier hung in the main part of the theater. It felt like I was walking through a haunted house. My tour guide warned me of bums that would sneak in to find a dry place to sleep. GREAT! I was guided down to a door which lead to the stage. To my surprise it opened into a hallway that had bathrooms to the right and a staircase ahead to the stage. Once we got to the stage I was able to see a little better. This theater reminded me of an old vodvill palace. It wasnâ€\t just an old movie theater. It had a green room and dressing rooms that were built below the stage. Since most of the lights in the theater didnâ€\t work, I didnâ€\t dare venture into the dark dungeons (rooms) below. Above me I could see there was fly space and a fully designed pulley and weight system for hanging and fling in sets. Stage lighting was very minimal. Below the front of the stage was a sectioned area for an orchestra pit. Towards the end of my tour my guide took me out front of the theater to a random door which lead to a flight of stairs. Up the freaky staircase was a hallway with random rooms and offices. These offices and rooms were attached to the windows that lineup behind the marquee sign. It was sort of like going back in time. Most of the rooms were filled with random storage. WHAT A MESS! Once I found out that this wasn’t just a movie theater I got excited. At the time I had heard news that the local Mayer was interested in refurbishing the theater, but not enough parking was available for such a large space. Plus the water damage was pretty bad. The owner at the time had the theater on the market. Oh how I wish I could win the lottery, but I don’t think enough money in the world would bring this palace back to it’s glory. Not with all the wonderful things the city had in store for the owner.
If anyone has plans to refurbish please keep me in mind. Would love to be a part of the whole before and after.
James