Palace Theatre

Though mostly known for live vaudeville and plays, the Palace Theatre did show silent films. The roots of the Palace Theatre were found in the Industrial Home Theatre which launched on October 9, 1905, the theatre had six “neat and moral” vaudeville acts along with silent films and sing-alongs to lantern slides. The theatre’s success led to improvements. It’s grand re-boot under the name the Industrial Theatre early in 1906 included both vaudeville and then a kinodrome film feature.

The venue closed for a complete overhaul under Harry A. Sodini who made a great expansion taking the theatre to a 900-seat venue extending to the next block. Its electric sign with 204 lights spelled the name, the Family Theatre. However, it was marketed as the Industrial Family Theatre at relaunch on August 27, 1906. Its first Optiscope film was a Lubin production “A Night Off”.

The theatre shortened its name to the Family Theatre becoming a motion picture venue. In 1916, the Orpheum Circuit of Chicago booked the Family Theatre for Orpheum vaudeville switching away (permanently) from motion pictures. Plans were being made to change the theatre’s name to the Orpheum Theatre when George “Daddy” Diehl opened the Orpheum Theatre on the city’s West Side neighborhood on April 4, 1916. The Chicago theatrical group settled on the name, the Palace Theatre rebooting under that moniker on October 4, 1917.

The Palace Theatre was largely held within its structure leaving its 1905 Industrial Home Theatre entry and building behind. The wood-beamed structure suffered one minor and two major fires. The first was in 1921 under the Orpheum Circuit backstage. The next was on February 14, 1923 which broke out beneath the balcony closing the building for repairs. A major fire on March 21, 1930 gutted the auditorium leaving just its front. The front was turned into a retail operation called the Moline Poultry and Fish Market in January of 1932.

In 1941, the Moose Lodge bought the building for a hall. It was in use in the 1940’s and included the largest Quad Cities bowling facility at that time.

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