Loew's Palace Theatre
1325 Main Street,
Bridgeport,
CT
06604
1325 Main Street,
Bridgeport,
CT
06604
15 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Loew's Inc., Loew's-Poli, Poli
Architects: Thomas White Lamb
Styles: Beaux-Arts
Previous Names: Poli's Palace Theatre, Loew's Poli Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Jan 13, 2014 — Matt Lambros Lecture in Santa Fe
- Nov 10, 2011 — Theatre lecture at Fairfield Museum
Poli’s Palace Theatre opened on September 2, 1922 with Wallace Reid in “The Dictator”. It was the biggest movie theatre ever erected in Connecticut, and the largest among Bridgeport’s 20-plus theatres.
The Poli’s Palace Theatre is one of two theatres built inside a single building (the other being the Majestic Theatre). The former Poli’s Palace Theatre has clearly seen better days.
It was later renamed Loew’s Palace Theatre, it is similar in style to the Waterbury Poli’s Palace Theatre.
Last renamed Loew’s Palace Theatre, it was screening adult movies in the Winter of 1974, (the Majestic Theatre had closed in 1971) and the Loew’s Palace Theatre was closed in 1975.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Contributed by
Cinema Treasures
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 60 comments)
there is an excellent urban exploration video of this building and walk-through of both auditoriums. it was posted last month.there is no mention of the location in the video however i recognized it from the various pictures that i have seen and i’m sure that there are very few large double auditorium theaters in the u.s. it is worth checking out. that place still seems to be in very nice shape!!
Actually two videos. Someone needs to restore this building.
From what I saw in the videos both theaters seemed to be in nice shape. But they need to empty out the crap on the Majestic’s main floor.
this and the Majestic are my favorite theaters
The Palace is one of the 24 theaters in my new book, “After the Final Curtain: The Fall of the American Movie Theater,” which is available on Amazon or your local bookstore
It looks like renovation will finally happen for the Palace!
http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Developer-plans-renovated-Bridgeport-theaters-11230815.php
According to this article, the Exact Capital Group plans to renovate both the Palace and Majestic Theatres and the Savoy Hotel (to be expanded), as well as build two residential towers across the street and another residential tower nearby.
The Palace would be renovated into a banquet ballroom and a family-friendly indoor recreation center, and the Majestic into a performing arts center. They plan to begin work win about 12 months (late 2018).
Circa 1952 photo added credit Dave Gelinas. Loew’s Poli blade sign in background.
Here’s an August 2018 update: Basically, Exact Capital is still putting together the $50,000,000 funding to get the project started:
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/A-year-later-theaters-rehab-still-pending-13197613.php
Corrected link to the CT Post article about the restoration:
https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Developer-plans-renovated-Bridgeport-theaters-11230815.php
Another article about the theatres:
http://www.damnedct.com/poli-palace-majestic-theater-savoy-hotel-bridgeport
Here’s the details:
From the Connecticut Post: BRIDGEPORT — Even as City Hall has launched a search for developers for properties along Main and Congress streets, ground has yet to be broken on the renovation of a pair of historic theaters nearby — a project offered up as a selling point to prospective downtown investors.
Related Stories New commercial and residential projects touted as reanimating Bridgeport Developer promises late 2018 groundbreaking for Bridgeport… Bridgeport City Council approves theater redevelopment deal Unions to Ganim: Include us in theaters project Zoning board OKs sale of theaters, hotel Bridgeport’s Office of Planning and Economic Development recently issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for the nearly two-acre Davidson’s Fabrics site, also known as the Middle Street Boys Club property, and for a 35,000 square foot surface parking lot used for police vehicles.
The city wants a mix of retail and market-rate housing on the parking lot, but has placed fewer restrictions on ideas for the Davidson’s building. Ideally that historic structure would be restored with “proposals that will draw patrons, dollars and activity into downtown (and) encourage overnight hotel stays” while also serving current and future downtown residents, according to the RFP.
Both RFPs promote a $400 million plan by New York-based Exact Capital, approved last September by the City Council, to restore the Poli Palace and Majestic theaters and Savoy Hotel to the north of Davidson’s Fabric and the cops’ parking lot. Residential towers — one 18 stories high — were also part of Exact’s winning pitch, selected from three responses.
Late last November, Craig Livingston, managing partner at Exact, had said the developer planned to break ground in “the back half” of 2018.
But as of this week, Exact, according to the city, is still piecing together the $50 million in financing needed for Phase 1 — rehabilitating the theaters and Savoy into a hotel with retail and performance/assembly space.
”We talk on a bi-weekly basis as to Exact’s progress on financing and tenancy on Phase 1,” wrote William Coleman, deputy director of planning and economic development, in an email to Hearst Connecticut Media.
Exact’s vision was frequently touted by Mayor Joe Ganim during his unsuccessful bid to win August’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. At one point, the mayor called the proposal “the most exciting urban development project anywhere in this state.”
Under the terms of the city’s deal with Exact, the developer had a year to assemble financing for Phase 1. Coleman said that the time period ends with the 2018 calendar year, not with September’s anniversary of the council’s approval.
Livingston, when reached by phone this week by Hearst, said he was on a conference call and asked that the reporter call back. He did not respond to subsequent requests for comment.
Coleman said Exact, beside working on financing and pursuing tenants, has also done market analysis and environmental assessment of the old buildings.
Coleman also noted that, regardless of what happens with the theaters, there is interest in the Davidson’s Fabrics and police parking sites nearby and “we believe they can go forward.”
Though there has been no visible progress on Exact’s Bridgeport project, the company and its partners have, according to coverage by some Realty websites, broken ground on a similar redevelopment of Harlem’s Victoria Theater — Exact’s first experience with old historic performance spaces.
Michael Jordan, president of Jordan Electric, in mid-April attended a job fair the city and Exact held to promote the planned work on Bridgeport’s theaters and the potential opportunities for local and minority contractors. Unlike some other development deals, Ganim and the City Council did not insist Exact employ union labor — a move proponents said could provide more work for residents and minorities.
Jordan said he has not been contacted since the fair about any work but was still hopeful: “These wheels roll slow. Things move slow.”
”Will I be around for it is the big question,” added Jordan, 63. “I got a couple more years and probably going to hand it (his business) over to someone else.”
If the Palace was the largest cinema in Connecticut, it goes without saying that it was also the largest in Bridgeport.
2022 update:
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Development-deal-dead-Bridgeport-seeks-100M-for-17391746.php
Nad news. The development deal with Exact Capital collapsed in 2021 and Bridgeport is looking to apply to the state Community Investments fund for grants to help support a possible future development deal with private interests, but it looks like a long shot - they felt that a purely privately funded redevelopment was not feasible at this time.
Let’s hope this works…