Louisville Palace Theatre

Hey all! I am quite happy to report that the Balcony was long ago reunited with the rest of the house…since re-opening in the 1980’s the Palace has been one theater. The sole remaining reminder of the sub-divided Penthouse is the strip of carpet in the main Foyer where an escalator was installed (it too was long ago removed). The main foyer floor is a wonderous display of artistry and it was impossible to replace the work that had been undone by the installation of the escalator. There in it’s place is a red carpet strip that now leads up to the guest sevices window (formerly the interior box office) so the effect isn’t so jarring. Truth be told, my favorite place to view a show at the Palace is in the Balcony, specificaly Balcony sections 2 or 3, anywhere from row F to N (which is where I did most of my volunteer work, and also where I met my wife!). The Orchestra pit is nice if you HAVE to be up close (except for movies) but IMHO the sound is much better upstairs. There is not a bad seat in the house. I even watched “West Side Story” (the movie) from the back row once just to prove a point…and it was still larger than life. The caretakers of this theater are to be applauded for the excellent work that continues to this day to restore this theater to it’s opening day glory. It has not been mentioned in detail here yet but in the interior foyer the ceiling is comprised of many “faces”…busts of the likes of Socrates, Plato, Beethoven, etc….which repeat several times…and one bust each of John Eberson (the original architect) and another of the gentleman (John ???…I think…who’s last name escapes me at this moment) who undertook the renovations in the 1980’s. Eberson looks a bit like Joesph Stalin (he’s in the middle of the foyer, three rows up oppisite of the mezzanine) and the other fellow looks a bit like Jeff Bridges and he is on the Mezzanine side just above where the entrance to the Men’s room lies. Amazing one-of-a-kind theater that never fails to “WOW!” first time visitors, or even myself after thousands of trips into the theater. It was an honor an a priviledge to have worked and been associated with the theater for so many years. May it stand for at least another 75 years!

I’m a single theatre venue advocate, if at all possible, in this day and age.

“…..in 1963, the balcony was blocked off and a second floor screen was installed and renamed the Penthouse Theatre.” Is the balcony still “blocked off”? I’m surprised that the decision (somewhere along the way)to block off this balcony was made especially with the interior being atmospheric and the theatre was considered “the finest theatre in the south”.

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS, performed here on 6-2-83. This date supports the timeline listed by bob marx above.

Wow – what a beautiful place. It’s everything a theater should be. I wish I could see it in person someday. Brian: how wide is the screen? From the pictures of the stage on the website it looks to be huge.

Words cannot describe what this theater means to me. I began attending shows there starting in 1994, and in 1997 I was lucky enough to be employed by the theater wich was then helmed by the esteemed Terry Hennessey (now at the Murat in Indy) and remained employed there for three years, after which time I began volunteer work for the peerless Mr. Bob Marx. It was while doing this work that I met my wife-to-be (on her first night of volunteering, no less). As much as I despise Clear Channel, their management flunkies and homogonized radio playlists, I will give them credit for restoring and preserving this one-of-a-kind landmark. Be it Allison Krauss (who recorded her “LIVE” CD/DVD here…a wonderful documentation of the facility) or Alice Cooper (or the Louisville Pops, touring Broadway productions, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Widespread Panic, Elvis Costello, Garrison Keillor, Ani DiFranco, Motley Crue, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, The OJays, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash…the list is just ENDLESS!) this is THE PLACE to take in a show when in Louisville. Oh, yeah…during the summer months the Palace STILL shows classic movies on perhaps the largest screen in town. Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind etc. to the more modern films such as The Godfather and ET…there’s just nothing like watching these classics with 1300 or so of your fellow moviegoers. In one weekend we had over to 3000 people in to watch “The Wizard of Oz”. Now that I reside in Washington DC one of the things I miss most from Louisville is the Palace. By all means if you find yourself lucky enough to catch a performance there, DO SO. You will not regret it. The best seats are in the front/center of the Balcony IMHO. With seating for just under 2800 patrons there is not a bad seat in the house. The House staff and volunteers are as friendly as they come and words just cannot do justice the the beauty of the facility itself. Mr. Eberson did himself proud with this structure. It is indeed an “Atmospheric” theater with a Spanish-Freso theme. In fact, after viewing the Allison Krauss DVD my boss remarked “I didn’t think (the Palace) was an outdoor theater”…the effect of sitting under the stars (blinking lights recessed into the curved, midnight blue ceiling) is just that believable. Do not miss the “faces” lobby…a sight that has to be seen…unlike any other theater I know of. My best wishes go out to the theater as well as to Mr. Bob Marx…Bob, Jill and I miss you all and will come calling next time we are in town. A request to all the “Jam-Band” fans who frequent the theater…please respect the place…don’t burn the seats with your cigarettes (or whatever else you may be smoking). Another note for historical clarity…the carpeting in the theater was recently replaced using a custom-made pattern that was the original design when the theater opened in 1927. Also, in the Balcony Women’s restroom there is a mother-and-child toilet stall with a standard sized toilet for Mom and a ¼ size toilet for Junior…this alone is worth stopping by to see! And I could go on and on…but just go and see it for yourselves! Ask for Bob Marx and tell him Brian & Jill sent you. Gawd how I miss that place…

Jim: Thanks for the style/type classification.

“Style” is not the same thing as “Type”; ‘Atmospheric’ is a type or class of theatre, as opposed to ‘Standard’ (or ‘Hard Top’), whereas ‘Style’ denotes the theme or period of the decor, and in this case appears to mainly Italinate, as in Italian Baroque, even though there is technically no such style. Italy did foster a number design stylings that did lead to a certain look, and that is what the term ‘style’ is all about. Perhaps the guys did not want to create yet another field to be filled and searchable, so limited the fields to ‘style.’ There is a reasonable limit to how many searchable fields a site can contain and still do its job within good time.

Having abandoned Moller rather late in the game, Loew’s generally bought Robert Mortons for its largest projects, but Wurlitzer also got a piece of the action, mostly in the form of 3/13s, the same organ newly favored by the Orpheum circuit. The State’s organ was revived in 1963 by James Wingate and friends, but the presence of a balcony theatre made its regular use somewhat problematic. Later removed to a Georgia pizza parlor, it has been broken up. The console now controls the organ in Manual High School, Indianapolis.

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The Loews closed in 1973 and remained closed until 1980. A group of investors purchased the theatre in late 1978 and got the theatre placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theatre opened as the Louisville Palace offering live concert performances and private events. In 1985 the theatre closed because of financial problems and remained closed until 1994 when reopened in Septembeer of that year. The Palace has operated continually since then and is now part of the Clear Channel Corporation’s theatrical division. The seating capacity is now 2800 and the theatre is undergoing continual work on amenities and improvements in patron comfort.

I have been told that the Wurlitzer Organ has been sold…. could some one advised me if this is true