Palace Theatre
2 East Avenue,
Lockport,
NY
14094
2 East Avenue,
Lockport,
NY
14094
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 48 of 48 comments
http://www.lockportpalacetheatre.com/april.html
April looks like a pretty diverse month at the Palace. I’d love to see the Sabres hockey games on the big screen.
cool- maybe next time i’m home i’ll stop in there again
The Lockport 8 was dingy, dirty, run-down and ill-cared for. The Palace is a GREAT venue to see a movie… just the way a movie SHOULD be seen!
A recent article in the Locport paper states that the Palace may bring back first run movies with the closing of the Lockport 8.
As I recall from my last visit to Lockport the building across the street was the ‘architecturally pleasing’ former post office which is mentioned after clicking on the word, Here, in the recent “Lost Memory” post.
This is a must-do event for any theatre buff and especially for someone interested in the Schine Brothers and their historical connection to theatres.
Karen Colizzi Noonan (aka Schine Historian!) will be giving a talk and powerpoint presentation on the history of the Schine Theaters at the Niagara County Historical Society’s Annual Dinner on Thursday October 12. I will be pulling from the archives of the NCHS as well as my personal collection of photos to tell the fascinating story of the Schine Brothers and their chain of independent theaters. Hope to see some of you there!
Lost Memory: Neat mousepad and I just might order one as I’ve toured this Palace in Lockport NY.
ChrisB: Great photo of this lovely theatre as I have toured this one. In the tile by the front doors is the word PALACE as you enter the lobby.
Here’s a photo I took in August:
View link
The Palace has a monthly classic film festival which is perfect for its big screen.
Ms. Rochelle Sanders, executive director gave the theatre tour and told the tile story to me.
lostmemory: The b/w photo that you have provided shows a drugstore next door. It is now an antique store as I was at the Palace this summer and received a tour. We noticed the exterior entrance tile with the word Palace in it, but on the corner there had been damaged. We asked why this had happened and was told that when new sidewalks were put in the crew wasn’t careful enough and damaged the small tiles The lady who provided us with a tour had told the crew how important it was and not to damage it so she stayed, but had to leave later that day. Upon returning to the theatre the next a.m. she then noticed the damaged area. It’s one thing that the crew damaged the tiles, but it’s totally another that they didn’t at least save the tiles to help restore the small area.
The guestbook has a message that talks about the original organ being in Dunedin FL now.
This theatre has a wonderful and complete website. Stop by,sign their guestbook and read what others have written.
“…..the developer to rethink the proposed parking lot strategy.” Well, it’s nice to know that some history theatre shows a developer who actually did rethink the proposed parking lot stragegy! Amazing!
“The theatre is not atmospheric so this was a departure from his usual style.” This will not deter me from checking out the Palace this summer! “In 1999, the Palace showed its last movie but was again saved from the wrecking ball by Curtain Up Productions who leased the theatre from 1999 through 2003.” Thank goodness!
Is there hope that an organ will once again be installed in this theatre? When the Opus 1066 was shipped to the Palace from the factory it didn’t have far too travel as Lockport is near N. Tonawanda NY. It seems such a shame that it doesn’t have an organ today though! But thank goodness this Eberson/Lempert theatre is still operating though NittyRanks tells us that “Lockport is not the town it once was…"Downtown is kind of dead.” And I certainly agree with RJT….“That local Architect, without whom there would be no Palace, was Leon H. Lempert,Jr. of Rochester,N.Y.”
The opening programme on the 1925 mentioned above, was Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” and live entertainment on stage.
The Wurlitzer organ Opus 1066 was shipped to the Palace from the Rudolph Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda in May 1925. It was later repossessed and rebuilt as Opus 2236 for radio station WMCA in New York City, to whom it was shipped on 16th September 1941. As mentioned above, it has now been scattered about the country.
The style H SP (special) Wurlitzer, Opus 1066, from the Palace is currently scattered about the country side. The three manual console currently controls the organ at the Tampa Theatre in Florida. Some of the chestwork and pipework were given religion, and incorporated into a large hybrid organ in a Florida church.
When the Palace opened on July 18,1925, it was listed as having a seating capacity of 1,532. The Interior Designer was W. Lusk.
That local Architect, without whom there would be no Palace, was Leon H. Lempert,Jr. of Rochester,N.Y.
The listing of 1100 seats is what the theatre seats today. Several rows of seating have been removed to provide more leg room. When I was there in 1988, the seating capacity was 1500. I was informed that even when the seating was at 1500 some seats had already been removed. The official website does show a nice interior shot.