State Palace Theatre
1108 Canal Street,
New Orleans,
LA
70112
1108 Canal Street,
New Orleans,
LA
70112
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Showing 51 - 75 of 82 comments
Accoring to this article,
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the owners of the State Palace theatre are still deciding whether to renovate, sell or demolish the theatre (ditto for the Joy. The Saenger is going ahead with a renovation project, and so is the Orpheum; they expect to have the Orpheum finished by the end of the year.)
Hopefully they will chose to renovate!
Didn’t feel safe??
The last time I was in New Orelans was 2003 Labor Day weekend and they were showing movie classics all weekend. As much as I wanted to go, I didn’t because it just didn’t feel safe.
WHAT a sad state (no pun intended) this theater has fallen into since the last time I saw it 4 years ago! Here’s a photo I took of the State Theater about two weeks ago when I was in New Orleans for Mardis Gras. New Orleans looked good…at least the touristy areas like the French Quarter, Downtown, and the Garden District looked as beautiful as usual…. They need our tourist dollars desperately, so please visit New Orleans, they are ready and waiting, and there’s nothing wrong with the areas anyone would visit as a tourist.
But since they did get some water along Canal St during the flood, the theaters along Canal suffered greatly. Even though it wasn’t terribly flooded like other areas, remember a foot of water on Canal St is brutal for the theaters, which remember, you enter at ground level into, but SLOPE down to the stage…so a foot of water may not seem like much outside….but as it rushes into a theater towards the stage, it inundates an orchestra level…. All four of the theaters along Canal, the Saenger, the State, and the Joy are now closed (the Joy was closed prior to the flood, but usable). The Orpehum alos had serious damage, but I forgot to check the place out to see if it reopened.
Anyway, here’s a photo of the sad Loews State, which certainly saw better days. It’s status can also be changed to closed until further notice too….it even had a for sale sign on it….
Excuse the quality as I took it with from the Canal St Streetcar:
Click here for current photo of the State Theater
Here is a 1935 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ynk54k
My dad served in the navy during the early 1950s. Recently he let me go through the many photographs he took during that time. There were lots of pictures of him and his navy buddies in various ports. In the background of one photo there is a theatre called the Loew’s State, taken in New Orleans when my dad went there on leave.
A closeup of the marquee reveals the movie playing as MGM’s Wide-Vision Screen, Technicolor “Latin Lovers” starring Lana Turner and Ricardo Montalban, which was released in 1953:
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I have been trying to contact the management of the State Palace over the last year. My corporation would like to lease the Stagte Palace for theater productions we are planning to perform in the New Orleans area starting late 2007 to early 2008. We would be willing to renovate the theater if the lease terms were agreeable.
I attended a movie at the State Palace in the late 80’s and fell in love with the theater. When the production idea was pitched to me, I immediately thought of this theater and how wonderful it would be to see it used for its intended purpose once again. If anyone has any conact information for the management, I would appreciate the information. Thanks!
Any photos available of the interior?
The “Loews State” or State Palace Theater was just shut down by the New Orleans Fire Dept. for fire code violations. Since Hurricane Katrina, it has been used very little. Last time I was in the theater it was in need of complete renovation. It was “a ghost of its elegant past” and I hope someone saves this classic treasure.
I’ve been looking at opening day descriptions of this theatre in the local papers. They refrence two large frescos on either side of the auditouirm painted by Henri Robert. Does anyone have a picture that shows this or know anything about Henri Robert? Were these truly frescos – dry pigment applied over wet plaster? Do they still exist under the wall covering?
Thanks Will! You are right! All four are all in one shot.
Bway, great shot. The Orpheum is also visible to the left.
This aerial view has the State, Saenger, and Joy all in one shot! You can click on the larger version to get in even closer. This must be pre-Katrina.
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Ken, it doesn’t look “too bad” in there. Apparently the Orpheum suffered much worse.
A view of the auditorium, as power is restored after hurricane Katrina struck:
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Here is a recent exterior photo with the Loews State marquee:
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And another album in the same site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rotoflex/sets/740498/
There’s some great photos I found of the interior of the State Palace here, only a month or less before this nightmare that struck New Orleans:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rotoflex/
The current issue of Newsweek, September 12, 2005, has a large photo on pages 42 & 43 of a flooded Canal Street. On the left can be seen the marquee of the Saenger Theatre. On the right is Loew’s State. Vehicles and people can be seen in about two feet of water or more.
I can’t see the flood photos, it says “unauthorized file”. Does anyone have direct links to the photos?
A report on the State Palace, the Joy, and other New Orleans theatres, including exterior flood photos.
I’m not sure about the State Palace, but I have seen the Joy theater and the Saelenger (sp?) under quite a bit of water on that end of Canal St. The closer to the Mississippi you go on Canal Street, the less the flooding is if that’s any consolation.
Does anyone know if the Loew’s State is in an area where flooding is severe?
Here is a photo I took of the State Palace in 2001.
I went to the movies here a couple of times when I lived in New Orleans. I remember that the interior (though triplexed) was intact enough to be impressive. The entrance foyer was thoroughly redone in a tacky 60’s re-do. The main lobby was mostly original. It had new light fixtures, and an even coating of beige paint, but you could make out what it should have looked like. Fortunately the movie I saw was playing in the theatre that had been formed from the balcony, so I had a great view of the proscenium, organ grills, and the dome overhead. There was also a small gallery (closed, at that time( at the top of the auditorium, which was a holdover from segregation days.