Palace Theatre
200 N. Water Street,
Silverton,
OR
97381
200 N. Water Street,
Silverton,
OR
97381
4 people
favorited this theater
The Palace Theatre opened in 1923 with 500 seats and a Robert Morton 2 manual 4 ranks pipe organ. The organ was removed from the theatre in November 1932 and was installed in the Clough-Barrick mortuary in Salem. It was destroyed by fire in April 1935. A new Palace Theatre was built and opened later in 1935.
The Palace Theatre closed briefly in July/August 2002 to fix its deteriorating roof and ceiling which began endangering the safety of theatre patrons. New carpeting and new seats were also installed. It suffered damage from a fire in 2012. Repairs were carried out and it reopened September 14, 2012. It was still a first-run single screen movie theatre until late January 2023 when it closed.
Contributed by
Cinema Treasures
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
The address is 200 N. Water St
This is a charming, small town theater but sadly the signs of aging are clearly visible due to shabby and peeling paint under the multi-bulb marquee.
The center aisle seating has been recently replaced while the stylish but older ones on house ‘left and right’ need help.
I wish they could afford a set of better looking traveler curtains because the present set look like a huge white bed sheet stretched tightly across the screen, offering no fullness.
I also noticed, interestingly, there were two organ consoles sitting under covers in the auditorium; one electronic while the other was made for traditional pipes. How wonderful if the latter could be fully installed and used for silent films, concerts and during intermission. This would certainly pull in larger audiences.
Story in the LA Times today about Stu Rasmussen, manager of the Palace and new mayor of Silverton. He is now a woman, the first transgender mayor in the US. He notes in the article that the theater is losing money.
Fire damages Silverton’s Palace Theater
http://www.kptv.com/story/17383897/fire-reported-at-silvertons-palace-theater
The Palace re-opens with a GRAND opening celebation September 14. In addition to burning the lobby, the smoke ravaged the entire building, This required removal of all seats, drapes, wall coverings, wood, carpeting etc. New digital & 3D equipment also damaged. Using local craftsmen and A.C.E. (American Cinema Equipment) as supplier, the restoration has gone from bare concrete walls and floors, only roof supports and no lobby to a fully-restored and re-created movie theatre 76 years of age. Digital HD projection and digital sound and a new 40-foot screen guarantee fully contemporary presentations. Silverton simply would not let the Palace die! —– Roger Paulson, co-owner Palace Theatre Inc.
Hey Theatreo – do you guys ever intend to put some kind of neon sign on your marquee?
Hey Mikeyisirish & all…. the Palace did have a spectacular sign until the mid-50s. It was huge and said Palace in a script font in neon all across the upper front face. The neon was subject to direct exposure by the weather and was frequently damaged. After being removed, it was never replaced. You can see a 1940s photo of that sign on display outside the theatre currently. Those photo frames are due to be updated. On the Silverton DVD you can see a very brief clip of original owner Al Adams proudly raising his hat to the theatre, on which is that neon sign. Until the late 50s, the sidewalk in front of the theatre, were two link-style mats stretched wall to all. PALACE was woven into the tread both left and right. Currently we have no plans to add an actual theatre sign. One way streets both face away from the building. However, we hope to be able to completely re-light the entire marquee reader board this year. It was disconnected in the early 60s due to water damage. It had fully-illuminated the entire front and side panels. You could see the light or its reflection from several blocks away. Roger Paulson
Here is an announcement about the yet-unnamed Palace Theatre from the April 1, 1935, issue of The Film Daily:
Lee Thomas must have been Lee Arden Thomas who, usually in partnership with Albert Mercier, designed several other theaters in the region. Their partnership, established in 1924, was dissolved in 1934.What is the pipe organ supposedly now in the Palace Theatre in Silverton?
The theatre originally had a two-manual, four-rank Robert-Morton organ, which was later sold to the late Mr. Dale Haskin of Portland, who had it in storage with many other organs. He passed away in 2009 and his organ collection was reportedly “dispersed” to local theatre organ society members. I wonder if this organ went back to the theatre? If not, it should! Robert Mortons are great organs!
http://pstos.org/instruments/or/silverton/palace.htm
http://pstos.org/instruments/or/portland/haskin.htm
The Palace Theatre closed in January 2023:
Silverton, OR: Palace Theatre Closed [Feb 1, 2023]