Palace Theatre
1526 Broad Street,
Cranston,
RI
02905
1526 Broad Street,
Cranston,
RI
02905
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In September 1922 this theatre was part of Rhode Island’s Paramount Week. Click to see the ad in Providence News, September 1, 1922, which contains a list of all participating theatres as well as the films shown that week.
PART ONE OF AD
PART TWO OF AD
In September 1920, this theatre was part of the celebration of the 3rd annual Paramount Week. CLICK HERE for all participating RI area theatres and the titles of the films shown.
In September 1926, this theatre was part of the eleven-theatre Celebrate Paramount Week.
Newspaper ad.
Lets set the record straight. From 1952 to 1960 I lived at 274 Montgomery Avenue in Cranston RI. When I looked across the street I looked at 305 Alabama Ave in Providence RI. On a good day I could hit the Palace Theatre with a slingshot. It was on MY side of Montgomery Ave across Broad Street. Living in close proximity to the Palace was the nearest thing to occupying heaven I have experienced during and since in my life. For 2-bits, that’s twenty-five cents to you city folk, when, you walked through those velvet curtains… the smell of the REAL butter on the popcorn; the sound of the sizzle coming off the top of a cup of Coca Cola hit you like a summer sunrise. Do you remember when you could actually see and hear the flavor of something before you ever actually ate or drank it? You were probably 9-11 years old like I was. When those curtains closed behind, and the lights went down, everthing changed in your life. Time stopped and didn’t resume until the lights came up. It says that there were 980 seats in the Palace. That must be wrong. I only remember maybe 4-5. One was my seat, and the others were for my forever friends. The Palace Theatre. In the truest sense of the words it was wonderful.
From Boxoffice magazine, February 4, 1956:
“In the most extensive cooperation promotion ever seen in this area, 14 Providence and nearby houses used record-breaking newspaper advertising space in heralding the joint premiere of "The Day the World Ended” and “Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.” Virtually taking over the amusement pages of the local press for several days, the following houses united in the ad: Elmwood, Hope, Uptown, Liberty, Castle, all in this city; Community, Centredale; Strand, Pawtucket; Union, Attleboro; Hollywood, East Providence; Palace, Cranston; Community, Wakefield; Park, Auburn; Palace, Arctic and Stadium, Woonsocket. A brief checkup of local houses indicated that opening days were solid."
ERROR CORRECTED : Some contributors seem to think that the Palace was located in Providence. It was not. The city line runs down the center of Montgomery Avenue, and the theater is located SOUTH of the line, i.e. it’s in Cranston !! I know because I live on Montgomery Avenue. I also attended many Saturday Matinees at the Palace when I was a child growing up in the neighborhood.
There is a photo on this rather comprehensive website:
http://tinyurl.com/y8qncu
Ah! Thank you for the correction. I was just reading about the Lowe’s State— another beautiful theater, wonderfully restored. (My wife and I went to see Chicago, the band, there in September— and both the concert and the surroundings were lovely!) Thanks again for the correct information.
Rev Jeff S,
You got it wrong! It was not at this Palace Theatre! That was at what is now PPAC and what was for decades Loew’s State. That theatre was known as the Palace for a while in the 1970s. You can find it HERE. Perhaps you might want to re-post there.
Did you know that Bruce Springsteen began his “Born to Run” tour at the Palace in the summer of 1975? The band had just finished recording the album in New York City— way behind schedule— and they jumped into the van for the drive to Providence for that night’s concert. An amazing moment in rock & roll history— right in Providence!
The former Palace Theatre is now known as God’s Family Church. Next to the church is a cemetery which abuts Providence’s lovely multi-laked Roger Williams Park. A peek into the interior reveals a well-maintained building. The original seats have been replaced by pews, while retaining the rake of the floor. The projection booth structure over the entrance remains intact as seen in this furtive photo taken through a side door.
Gladys W. Brayton wrote of the origins of the Palace Theatre on the website of the Cranston Historical Society, even though the theatre is geographically just over the border in Providence:
In 1916 Abraham A. Spitz, a veteran theater man and owner of a number of theaters in Providence and elsewhere, opened the Palace Theater at 1520 Broad Street. His manager for twenty-two years was Charles H. Steadman who had supervised the building of the theater. It has a seating capacity of 1000. His license was but $25 at the time, but by the end of year was changed to $1 for each performance. The price of the seats went up a bit, too. Reserved seats in the balcony were fifteen cents.
The Edgewood Library Civic Club gave a play there soon after it was
opened. Occasionally concerts and entertainments took place there. On Saturday mornings a children’s program was offered with three chaperones in attendance. The popular “Wizard of Oz” was featured at one of these sessions.
In 1920 the Palace offered its patrons a special feature, a midnight who at which the elections returns were given, for there were no televisions in those days to keep up to date on the news.
The 1925 Providence Journal Almanac gave the seating capacity as 980 and listed Peter E. Murphy as the then manager.
Error noted: this theatre was NOT in Cranston but in Providence, just on the Providence side of the city line with Cranston. The PJ Almanac lists it under Providence and 1526 Broad Street comes out as Providence when you map it. So the city should be changed to Providence.
Here’s a photo of the Palace Theatre in its current incarnation as a church.
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