Palace Theatre

There are holes in the ceiling that have let decay take a foothold inside. The theatre is in such bad shape that it would take many millions of dollars to restore, and that is unlikely to happen.

I can remember seeing "Gremlins" there with my sister in the early 1980s. I don't think it had been triplexed at that time. I remember thinking the theater must have been fairly elegant at one time. I seem to remember standing at the back of the auditorium, underneath a curved balcony, overhead. It seemed like the perfect place to see a Saturday matinee. It was the only time I ever saw a movie there. There was also the Brandt Cine in Danbury and another theater at the other end of town, the North Street Cinema.

Sadly, all those old Danbury cinemas have closed since and the onlu theatre left in town is a Loews monsterplex. Most have been demolished. The Palace stands abandoned and the Empress next door has been carved into stores and a live music club, but all the rest are gone. The city tried to talk the group who has reopened the Avon in Stamford into rehabbing the Palace, but the theatre too far gone.

It is a shame that an era has passed. These were beautiful theaters, The Palace, The Empress and the Capitol. Crystal chandeliers and murals all around, velvet curatins and seats. One even had a fountain in the lobby. Somehow you just don't feel as special in the new theaters.

I worked at the Palace for many years including during the time when it was made into a triplex. The movie One Summer Love with Susan Sarandon and Beau Bridges was filmed there, so when I am nostalgic, I watch the movie to see the once beautiful theater. I loved the statue in the lobby and the beautiful chandeliers. It was a gorgeous theater and I am dismayed whenever I drive by the building and think of the ruin it has become. How sad!

To Whom It May Concern,
I am in the process of planning my parents 50th wedding anniversary and I really wanted to plan somthing different. I was thinking of planning a recpetion in a historical bulding and the Palace Theatre popped into my head. I came across this website in my search. I can not believe that anyone with the money that could afford to invest does not gobble this land mark up! This place may be money pit right now but in the long run could be a gold mine. Think of what they could turn this place into, Arts theatre/resturant/events hall. Someone save the theatre!

Sadly this Main Street theater could have been a treasure for the community. But instead it has become a blight on Main Street. The theater is forever gone because of an owner who will not sell it and does not have the vision or resources to develop it.
Warren Levy

i live down the street from the palace and the empress. my friends have owned the empress club and studio for 5 years (the venue is under the orginal stage).

the palace is owned by slumlord, Joe Dasilva. that may be libel, but it's the truth, spouted by many a tenant under him and i used to be his tenant.

he's owned it for many years and refuses to sell it to the city for any price. we need it for a performing arts center/community center but he won't sell. what good can he be getting from an abandoned building that he refuses or to do anything with? there was a tour of the place a few years ago and to add insult to our history, this past new years eve on first night danbury, i saw the palace listed as a place for one of the many shows that night! wtf?!? sure enough it was open but i had to catch a train and didn't have time to wander in. i will be calling the mayor today as i know him and ask about the issue.

Hello. I share everyone's concern on the status of the Palace theatre. It is indeed a sad situation. i am a playwrite/director in Danbury and put on a production in October at Danbury High School, then in December at Bethel High School. This month we will go t oWalnut Hill Community Church. My vision is of course to hold productions at the Palace. I called and personally spoke with Mr. DaSilva mid 2003. He assured me that the Palace would be partially renovated by now. How discouraging. I would love to have my productions at the Palace. It is such an ideal location and could bring so much economy and excitement to Danbury. There is NO place to go to for good theatre in Danbury but all of the surrounding towns have a theatre. All were too busy to accommodate me. I spoke with the mayor and there are plans to build a new 300 seat capacity theatre in Danbury but each of my shows were over 300 people. One show was over 450 people in Danbury. So, I am pleading and praying that Mr. DaSilva softens his heart and sell so that the Palace can be restored for many good uses in Danbury.

From the 1932 Danbury City Directory, the Palace Theater is listed at 165 Main Street. The 1939 City Directory has it showing motion pictures.

From the 1981 Danbury City Directory, The Palace is listed at 173 Main Street but that doesn't seem right as that's further down the block, unless the numbers were changed or storefronts were overhauled. In the 1982 Directory, The Palace is still listed at 173 Main Street but it's name was changed to Trans-Lux Palace Theater. More updates later this week.

Further research into present day's directories show the Translux Palace open in the 1991-1992 directory. In the 1992-1993 directory, it is apparent that Crown bought them out as they did with the Cine on Eagle Road and Cinema Twin at the North Street Shopping Center. The Palace was changed to the Palace Triplex.

I'm sorry, i made a mistake, it was changed to the Crown Palace Triplex.

For some reason, the Palace wasn't listed in the 1988 Directory. Any reason for the omittance? A changing of ownership?

There is a picture of the Palace on page 19 of the Centennial Edition of the News-Times, Volume 2, 1933-1983. Also, my friend told me when he was first opening the Empress, he and his co-owner broke into the Palace and saw the original ceilings of turquoise and tile work. He said the little windows in the back of the building were the old dressing rooms, which are still intact, some 6 stories of them.

From the 1929 Directory, 165 Main Street was called Danbury Theatres Inc. only in that year.

I just noticed today (and should've before) an enlarged copy of a program from a movie at the Palace at the Danbury Public Library. It is on the left of the door to the Local History Room. There are dancers on it but there is no name of the show. All it says is "Opening Program, Palace Theater, September 6, 1928.

My friend's boyfriend apparently is being paid by the landlords for the last few years to restore the Palace's interiors. He told me he doesn't believe in ghosts but clearly hears talking, whispering and laughter and slamming of doors when he's along in the wee hours. He also told me he could take me on a tour. He said there are 5 floors of dressing rooms in the back and when he discovered them, there were still clothes on the hangers!

I don't know where the clothes came from. When I worked there, the dressing rooms were all emptied. Anything of value is definitely gone. I heard that on the night they closed the theater, some of the employees destroyed a lot of what was left inside. I loved that old place and would love to see it restored. I hope that the DaSilva family decides to let someone take it over and make it into the showplace that it could be.

Yeah, me too. Even thought DaSilva has a bad rap, he his restorer towed his line but made sense. The City of Danbury kept on him to let them have it as a performing arts center for $1, etc. and he said no. I always thought he was stubborn and his rep is to hold onto empty buildings all the time. He owns the Pershing Building on the corner of West and Main (former Opera House) and at one time it was the largest office building in the country. The downstairs have 75% used office space and the top 2 floors are compeletely dead. Anyway, the restorer told me that why should we give it to the city? They aren't done restoring it and nobody has any idea that it's being restored. It's almost secretive. Slowly by slowly, it's getting done.

That is good news. Danbury has many treasures to be restored. I have many wonderful memories from living in Danbury and I would hate to see the downtown area go to ruin.

I found another ad by accident while researching the theaters in New Milford. It's from Our Times New Milford and there's and old ad on page 4 for the Warner Brothers Palace Danbury for "She Couldn't Say No" starring Winnie Lightner and Chester Morris.

The former organ from the Palace Theatre is now installed in the Thomaston Opera House.

Ah, that's the one whose name I got wrong that I saw upstairs with the back open.

From "Do You Remember" column from the 10/16 issue of the News-Times.

The grand old Palace Theater on Main Street could become Danbury's
cultural center if a plan supported by Mayor James E. Dyer comes to fruition.

Dyer is working with the Danbury Downtown Council on a plan for the city, with state, federal and private aid, to buy the 51-year-old theater and renovate it into an arts center.

The adjacent 34-unit Martha Apartments building would be used for housing for the elderly, according to the plan. Dyer will recommend opening negotiations with the theater's owners.

Well, clearly Jimmy Dyer won't be recommending anything, because I believe since the time that story originally ran he was convicted of racketeering or accepting bribes, or whatever it is mayors in Connecticut always do, and spent some time in prison. It's a shame, because when I attended Westconn in the 1970s it was the same Jim Dyer, before he became mayor, who took my yearbook photo!
Anyway, I remember going to the Palace with a bunch of college pals to see "Blazing Saddles" when it first came out, which must have been 1974. We laughed our asses off. (I saw it a second time at the Ridgefield Cinema, in case anybody is cross-referencing entries and wants to know why I said I saw it there.) It's a shame this theater is gone. I hope the stories about a slowly progressing rehabilitation are true.

Today's Danbury News-Times ran another "Do You Remember" from 25 years ago, that continues the saga begun above...it's hard to know who to believe, or not to believe!

Theater's sale to DaSilva upsets city's plans for cultural center
From The News-Times files
25 years ago

Mayor James E. Dyer says he is "crushed" that plans to convert the Palace Theater on Main Street in Danbury into a cultural center have been shattered because the property was sold Thursday (Dec. 11, 1980) to downtown landlord Joseph DaSilva.

A contract between DaSilva and the Coury Realty Corp., represented by Theodore Gemza and composed of Elie Coury, Doris Jean Gemza and two silent partners, was signed this week.

This week's sale came after the Danbury Downtown Council had been working for several months with Dyer on a plan to buy the 51-year-old theater with state, federal and private aid and renovate it as an arts center.

I can rememember seeing Fantasia when I was young at this theatre. THe Palace was a beautiful movie theatre before they divided it up. When they divided it up, they ruined it. It was neat thought, seeing a movie in the secton that use to be the balcony. I can remember seeing 3 movies in one day at the Palace.

Another tidbit from Sunday's News-Times "Do You Remember" section.
25 years ago.

Although initial attempts are only beginning to be made to create the Danbury cultural center proposed for Main Street's Palace Theater, it has received its first gift in time for the holidays — the 60-year-old concert piano that was the original piano in the theater since it opened.

Robert Claypool, owner of the Samoria Music Center, bought and restored the piano, and is donating the instrument to the Danbury Downtown Council so it can be returned to the theater once the cultural center opens.

Hey ShoeShoe, that's pretty interesting -- and it leads to the question, Where Is The Piano Now?

This little tidbit appeared in Sunday's Danbury News-Times "Do You Remember? 50 Years Ago" -- from 1956:

50 years ago

A "Rock-A-Rama" entertainment scheduled at the Palace Theater in Danbury Saturday (April 7, 1956) has been canceled through mutual agreement of the theater manager, city and police officials and the agency scheduled to present the show.

Police Chief F.ŸJ. Mazzia said theater officials were requested not to stage the event in view of boisterous occurrences at similar programs elsewhere in recent months and in view of an incident here March 23 (1956) when furniture and plumbing were damaged at the Elks auditorium during a rock 'n' roll review sponsored by the Hat Makers Drum Corps.

I e-mailed Elizabeth Putnam at the News-Times to ask if she'd heard anything about the status of the Palace. Her story in Sunday's paper about the revitalization of downtown Danbury made no mention of the Palace, yet ironically said that the old Pride Cleaners building on Main St. may be converted into an 85-seat theater!

I went to see movies at the Palace from 1965 to 1984. Disney films, grindhouse films, westerns- you name it. Special double feature matinee programs for kids on the weekends were always fun. During high school, they had midnight shows of Rocky Horror, and sometimes Up in Smoke. After the triplex conversion, I saw Empire Strikes Back and Clash of the Titans in the large "balcony" theater. I always regreted that they carved up the original theater, though. We called the other 2 theaters "bowling alley" theaters because they were so long and narrow. In the mid 70's, before the conversion, there were some nights where they would really pack 'em in! I hope the renovation Shoeshoe has been posting about is moving forward, since the last post was almost a year ago.

You can see an overhead view of downtown Danbury in CT Circle Magazine from 1946 in the local history room of Danbury Library. Call number 974.692C. You can see the Empress and the Palace (Palace sticks out obviously). Page 2 and 16 are overheads. Page 29 has the marquee of the Palace visible.

The Palace was mentioned in an April 5, 2007 editorial in the News-Times regarding the oft-mentioned new owner of the Bank Street Theatre in New Milford. What's strange is the editorial obviously refers to the theater but not in name. It's assumed everyone in town knows what they mean.

Good move
Danbury should follow New Milford's lead in saving downtown theater
Apr 05 2007

We have to agree with Richard Freedman. He thinks New Milford is lucky to have found Gary Goldring, the entrepreneur from Sherman who bought the Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford, and so do we.

The old theater with the distinctive Art Deco exterior is a downtown landmark.

Freedman certainly has an informed opinion as he is the one who sold the gem to Goldring. The price tag was $1 million, the same amount paid by Freedman two years ago, even though he invested more with lobby renovations and new seats. Whether it is generosity or market reality, we are glad to see the building sold at that price instead of languishing for years.

Mayor Patricia Murphy rolled up her sleeves and, as she said, "went chasing" the buyer, who had earlier indicated interest in doing business in New Milford. This is one more piece of evidence that she has made economic development a priority.

Granted, a movie theater does not have the tax impact that would come with some larger potential projects, but it has considerable cultural impact.

In the early days of moving pictures, nearly every thriving downtown had its own theater and many even had competing theaters. Some were converted from vaudeville stages and most had elaborate decorations that are nearly cost prohibitive to duplicate now.

Cities that have restored their wonderful old theaters -- the Shubert in New Haven and the Palace in Waterbury come to mind -- have not only preserved a bit of history, but also have attracted complementary growth with restaurants and shops.

When will it be Danbury's turn? The city's old theater, also privately owned like New Milford's, has sat sadly empty for years, right on Main Street.

New Milford has shown that with ingenuity deals can happen. Let's take a step in Danbury and get talking about how the Hat City's own piece of history can be saved.

That IS kind of strange. You have to wonder if anybody at the News-Times even remembers the name of the theater!

Since a few weeks ago there are now brown paper bag coverings on the inside of the lobby doors. Not much of an update.

I really wish that the Palace theater would open. Being a junior at Danbury High School with 2 years experience in the technical aspects of working in a theater, specifically sound, an opportunity to work in a theater would be like a godsend. I was offered a job running the sound equipment for a traveling acting troupe run by a counselor at school but my parents were not fond of me riding around CT with some guy and his acting troupe. I am currently the head of the sound department for the stage crew at DHS. We do the spring musical and few little things throughout the year. I would love to do more but with the empress gone and the palace closed there aren't many opportunities for someone like me to get a job in the theater business.

Cheshir, have you checked with the Ridgefield Playhouse?

No, actually. I don't go into Ridgefield often so I didn't even think of that. Thanks for the suggestion.

I contacted Ridgefield Playhouse via email and was told that I could do an internship and then was given a number to call. When I called, the director didn't even remember me and then told me to call back the next week. I was starting to doubt whether or not they were being serious with me. It turns out they weren't because I called back and left a message and no one ever responded.
I'm hoping that I might be able to get a job or do an internship at Billy Baloneys in Danbury or at least get a straight answer out of them when I ask.

Is the Palace Theater being renovated? I saw work being done on the entrance way a few days ago and now theres one of those clearish tarps covering it.

I was going to post that today but you beat me to it. I don't know. A few weeks ago there were paper bags on the interior of the doors, now tarps. With DaSilva, anything's possible. If you read the above post you'll see my post about a friend of a friend working on the renovation. He's been doing it solo for 6 years.

Alright folks, these quotes by DaSilva are either BS or BS. He never speaks publicly about the Palace or anything and has always refused to turn over the Palace to the community. Of course as stated above, I know 1 person who is restoring the place and has for the last 5 years. From a capitalistic standpoint, if you own so much property in Danbury, why give it up and instead you can make millions if you sell it to an outside interest. I understand. But seriously, check the next post out.

There was an article in Danbury's News-Times this past Monday about reviving the First Night.

The new ED of City Center (Andrea Gartner) is a really cool lady and she's not like the past ED's. She's progressive and honest and she even acquired a huge side of a building where there is now a gigantic mural in the center of town. That building is owned by DaSilva and she had to meet with him several times just so she could realize her vision. She plans to do a new one each year.

At least 5 or 6 years ago, the Palace was one of many venues for First Night and the marquee was turned on but the slap in the face to the community was half the letters had already fallen off and the others were lit up. It was half assed.

Now...the headline.

"First Night to put theater in the spotlight
Multimedia show to reveal what lies behind the Palace Theater facade"

Performance artist and designer Carter Boyajian's sound, light and video montage will highlight the architectural jewels of the building, which include plaster cornices, murals, brass fixtures and satin wall coverings.

DaSilva said, "While there have been First Night events in the theater in the past, this will be a more artistic approach of the theater itself...It's something that's long overdue and necessary to add some life into the revitalization of the downtown. There is a lot of positive energy surrounding the theater in recent months."

There's been positive energy ever since it closed in 1995 and even more so in the 70s when Mayor Dyer wanted to use it for the community but was rebuffed!

Btw, the touchups that I've been seeing were for this event on First Night. Except the marquee is still dilapidated!

DaSilva also said there had been recent explorations into the possibility of opening the building as a community theater to showcase live performances and films.

Sure he's turned a leaf, but I don't buy it. We used to sublet from him and he's not so good.

That's a shame. But at least there apparently ARE still "plaster cornices, murals, brass fixtures and satin wall coverings" -- unlike what's happened to so many other theaters. And hopefully, if attention is called to them, they'll remain.

I plan on going on the 31st. I have never seen the inside of the theater and I've always wondered what it looks like.

I really hope DaSilva does open it as a community theater. My internship at Billy Baloney's seems to have hit a wall because there haven't been any shows since October and it would be nice to have another place to intern at.

Cheshir, do we know each other? I was the drummer in Phoenix Tree and worked with the Hat City Free Press.

Mostly likely not. I'm a junior at Danbury High School.

Alright folks! Looks like it's underway. All the letters on the marquee are now up and repainted. Beams are exposed, ladders are onsite. Only a few days left. If you want to see the theatre on Dec. 31, spend $5 on a button that gets you to all the venues downtown. It's from 4-8pm. I'll be there with camera in hand.

Also, I've been re-writing an old article on the history of the Danbury music scene (1960-present) and there's a nice tidbit. The Palace was used as a live music venue from 1968-1970. The shows were produced by Mike Farmer, a local and there were many local bands playing there as well as national bands like Rhinoceros and MC5.

Wo -- for a moment there, I thought you meant the guy from Grand Funk Railroad... then I realized he was Mark Farner, not Mike Farmer!

Alright. I went to First Night earlier at the Palace. The marquee's letters were glowing in red. My friend's country/bluegrass/ragtime trio was playing in the inside foyer (Ernest Hem'n Haw and the Shotgun Republic). The ad for the opening night of the Palace that's also in the Local History Room of the Danbury Library was in the lobby as well as older pictures. The long hallway, wood paneling, mirrors, floors and decorative lamps were all restored-looking. There was some spotty paint splotches of old and the downslope to the lobby was beautiful. I had never been there before as I had moved there when it had closed.

The grand lobby had the multimedia installation and there was a great plaster statue in the center. Since the room was oval, there was a sheet strung from first level ceiling to the floor in front of you (and the statue) and around to the left and right sides in front of the stairwells). There was a dancer in all blue tights dancing behind them to the violin music. There were multi-colored stage lights on the floor giving an eerie and beautiful scope. If you looked straight up you saw a small blue ellipse of light moving back and forth.

The ballustrade oval was great and everything was touched up including the Corynthian columns and large lamps. At the top of the oval ballustrade were (original?) gas lamps with blue light bulbs, almost like a candelabra in 4 spots giving off a great ambience. There was a violinist upstairs playing. The installation was a projector overhead that showed pictures for about 5 seconds per frame, so it lasted about 10-15 minutes of all pics the artist was allowed to take of the theatre, including original washtubs in the bathrooms, stagehouse, fly, auditorium, old reels stacked, etc.

I took about 40 pictures with my new digital camera. I'll set up a page and post a link shortly so you can see them.

Andrea Gartner, new ED of City Center Danbury has recently put the landlord, now sole owner, DaSilva in touch with her friends in theatre restoration folks.

The volunteers gave generic responses to the crowd and it wasn't my time to correct them, like "there's a new resurgence to spruce up this gem." BS. since the Dyer administration in the 70s. Or how water mains broke in there years back and it was a shame. The shame was owning a building and keeping the taxes paid and having it still lit inside and not having anyone see it and letting it go to...ok i'll stop.

Happy new year!

One more thing. I stopped in earlier in the day to talk to Gartner and she told me that the person I had known who was renovating, was untrue! DaSilva had never heard of him. That's weird. Why would he make that up? Oh well.

I am happy to hear that the lobby was not in bad shape. I am so glad that the statue (we called her Esmerelda) was still there and that many of the old fixures remain. I had heard that on the last night the theater was open the employees had a field day in there. Glad to hear they didn't destroy everything.

The program guide which had a cornice on the front was called "Reveal: What Lies Behind the Facade, told about how this event came together with DaSilva and the Boyajian's, (Carter and Peter, husband and wife) who are sculptors and designers. They also have lots of sculptures at the Sculpture Barn in New Fairfield, quite cool if you haven't been there.

Anyway, it says, "Recently, I received a phone call from Joe DaSilva, the sole property owner of the Palace, to inquire about what it would take to restore a Carrara marble statue from the late 1800s by Tadolini, located in the lobby..."

My friend set up a link on his page with all my Palace pics. Enjoy folks!

http://gallery.mac.com/joeaguy#100046

The last one is #208, the other ones are from NYE.

Thanks for the photos. Clearly a work in progress, with mixed results. That ceiling fan, though, is a real buzz-kill -- obviously a Home Depot special and not remotely original decor!

Page 17 of the newest edition of the Fairfield County Business Journal has a pic of the newly renovated Palace marquee, sandwiched between a pic of Marcus Dairy and the old Filene's. It's titled, "Dynamic Danbury" but the article makes no mention of the Palace.

Wow! DaSilva has changed his tune in the latest issue of Hat City Entertainment and wants to fix it up and "give" it to the city! (Last night, Danbury's Common Council voted to approve $75K for the CT film fest).

The article was called "Polishing a Gem" and here is the meat.

"We are taking it forward and fact-finding at the same time," said J Joe DaSilva, current owner...he is working diligently to revitalize the building..."

With numerous legal pieces which need to be addressed, such as the venue's non-profit status, funding, grants and the issue of historical preservation...

"...it is going to be reopened, but we have no date in mind...we are looking to restore it as best as we can as a performing arts theatre for both live shows and movies - and then anything else."

The upper and lower lobbies are also earmarked for the possibility of creating exhibition space for local artists and/or sculptors.

...two lower level 500-seat theatres and the 1,000 seat upper balcony area. Eventually...intention is to make it into one 2,000-seat venue.

Currently in process are inspections that will determine exactly what needs to be done to the theatre for its impending restoration...DaSilva reports that the Palace has been well preserved...multi-faceted venue...we want to attract everything available, just about anything will be allowed...use by Danbury High, WCSU...work will not nearly be completed in time (by December 2008).

DaSilva is hopeful that some areas of the theatre could be ready in time for the (CT Film) Festival's May stop, possibly to show some of the films in the smaller theatres.

"It is getting very exciting," DaSilva enthused.

Yay finally some good news! :D
I can't wait for it to open.

Does anyone have a phone number for Joe DaSilva? I am interested in doing the restoration of the marble statue in the lobby.

Thanks in advance

BigWoo, 203-748-9112

I met Joe DaSilva for the first time on Friday night at the CT Film Fest in Norwalk at the Regent 8 and the gala afterwards at the Palace Digital Studios. He was with his new partners in crime/renaissance, Andrea Gartner from City Center and Carter Boyajian of the Sculpture Barn. He's quite attentive and friendly, the opposite of all the rumors. We had some good conversation about the Palace and he said I'm welcome to come by when they're working to get a behind the scenes tour.

Apparently, his friends and himself have heard of this guy called "Shoeshoe14" and only recently put my name to my face. Small world.

Hey shoeshoe, if you do get your behind-the-scenes tour, be sure to bring a camera!

Well, duh! hehe.

Okay, the CT Film Fest is now officially in downtown Danbury from May 20-25. Venues for films and presentations will be in the Heirloom Arts Theatre (formerly Empress Ballroom), Library Plaza, the Grassy Alley between Family Dollar and that other building, Danbury Music Centre and just announced, The Palace! No details on where in the theater at this time.

I think the reason this Joe DaSilva seems different that what you've heard is that he's not the same Joe DaSilva that the city was unsuccessfully trying to negotiate with a decade or two ago. This the son, and after the father passed away, it took a few years for the family to decide who would control what. Joe "won" the Palace, much to Danbury's good fortune.

Well, the marquee has changed since First Night for the CT Film Fest. It's so great to see the marquee on all night and something new on there.

Yes, it is great to see the marquee all lit up. All you Danburians have bought your tickets for the Film Fest, right?! ;-)

http://www.ctfilmfest.com

Nope, I was hoping to get comped seeing as I'm Location Manager and Production Coord. for an indie film. We start shooting on June 1 at Tarrywile. What do you say?

That's great! Exciting stuff going on. It's a Good Thing.

So SMF...will the film fest opening of Flyboys be in the Palace's auditorium, or the balcony?

Okay folk, stopped by City Center and Joe DaDasilva was there. Here's the scoop. The film fest will open May 20 and the theatre that will be open will be on the orchestra, lower right, seating 420. The News-Times reporter will be there late morning for a story and pics. I asked if I could do the same and he said he'd let me know since it's getting crazy, but most likely in the morning hours.

I'm doing a piece on the Film Fest for the Fairfield Weekly as I write for them. I will be at the press conference today at the Palace along with other area papers and the Hartford Courant. Channel 3 will be airing some pics on Sunday night as I'm told.

I talked with DaSilva this morning and he assured me he will be converting it back into a single screen! Yes! Once the funding is in place for preservation and repairs, it will be used as a 2,000 seater for live theatre, concerts and movies.

Right now, like I said it will be the lower right orchestra and his crew has been busy painting and getting it ready. Digital projection of course.

Hey shoeshoe, if you write for Fairfield Weekly, do you know Lorraine Gengo? She used to be the editor, but I think she left. I'm an old friend of her mother.

I knew of her, but she left last year and I never met her.

Wow wow wow! I was at the press conference yesterday at 2pm for the Fairfield Weekly. It was locked, so I went around to the open door behind Democratic HQ. The cleanup crew was working 12-hour days and there must have been a dozen crew working very hard. New carpets, new paint, fixing the fixtures, buffing. Whew. The seats looked a glorious red as they had all been washed. It doesn't look rushed at all, the time was taken. They had turned the original vents on so it was slightly cold and comfortable. The orchestra pit looked great and I walked around upstairs (balcony still blacked out) as well as going behind the stage and looking up the 5 floor stairwell of the dressing rooms. Oh yeah, the bathrooms are very spiffy looking. DaSilva's head crew guy told me some stories when Trans-Lux owned it and how the kids would steal and mess up things. But he was very accommodating and asked if I was the "infamous shoeshoe14".

Again, DaSilva will be converting it back to a single screen and I did dedicate one paragraph of my article to the Palace. Somehow said it all in one paragraph. I'll post the link next Wednesday when it comes out.

I will also be volunteering a bit at the box office so go to www.ctfilmfest.com The Palace will be screening all week as well as the Heirloom Arts Theatre (formerly Empress Ballroom/Theatre).

This is really a great story, one which I hope will receive wider press coverage. And the description of the Palace at the top should be updated as well -- describing its status as "closed" and its future as "uncertain" now seems inaccurate.

Right. Channel 3 WFSB is supposed to air footage on Sunday night and the Courant will as well.

So now that the film fest is over and the last movie has shown, I'll detail my explorations into the entire theatre that is off limits and my treasureful bounty!

It was Sunday evening and as the boring Lucie Arnaz movie showed, I thought I'd take a tour. Another film fest sponsor went with me and followed my lit cell phone. Basically, I gave him a history lesson about the architecture and it was his first time doing anything of the sort. That made it more fun for me to have a cohort. The left orchestra theatre was vastly different and was used as storage for all the week's catering. So the seats were dusty, the walls were red and all the walls/ceilings were crumbly and beautiful. It was like a time warp. The original plush tapestries on the left wall were still there, but faded. The aisle carpet sunk as you walked on it so I don't advise that. The pit looked fine.

I went through an open door to the left of the stage and we saw the very dangerous stage and went down the stairs into the darkness, investigating every dark room, there must have been at least 12, including the gigantic boiler room. Some rooms had water/oil puddles. We could look underneath the stage as well and underneath the screen on the left side where it was still playing at 6pm. We started up the stairs on the right side of the stage house.

The sunlight streaming through the window certainly helped quite a bit. The rooms were dusty and had original fixtures. My treasure came in the second room. A manual for projection equipment from 1976. The Xetron/C55PT/PTA Amplifier out of Cedar Knolls, NJ And strewn about on a random windowsill in one of the old bathrooms were cutouts (photocopied) onto a piece of paper, with 11 to a page, advertising "Danbury's Newest Entertainment Center...Twin Cinema 1 & 2, RKO Stanley Warner Theatres...Danbury Shopping Center...748-2923...Free Parking." I took a few of them. Then I found blank sheets of "Weekly Budget Performance" with the fields for Theatre and Location, category of staff, etc.

But then I found the mother load of artifacts - actualy pencil filled in fields of monetary numbers and earnings of the Palace and other nearby theatres, complete with film names, dates and seat numbers!!! I can send pics if anybody would like.

We did this for every floor and every room was empty of bounty, save for some light trash, all the way to the top and the open sliding metal door on every floor looking down at the stage got scarier as we got higher (he was 320 lbs, I am 170). The original curtain and ripped screen are still there.

We went down and back under the stage to the other stairwell. Nothing on the first two floors, but as we went higher, the concrete on the steps was very crumbly and you could see the screen it was attached to (don't know the terms), but we decided our adventure would have to end, due to safety and nervousness. But bounty in the first 10 minutes is good enough for me. We exited as the movie let out and I showed my bounty to some friends.

Oh yeah, there's now a sign in the lobby placed by DaSilva telling folks about the new campaign to turn the Palace into a cultural hub and Performing Arts Center and to pardon the appearance.

The bounty re: the daily performance sheet. Its headings are "B.O., Fday, Vend, Fday, Attend, and Remit." It's dated 3/26 and is a stapled top sheet for the theatres Merritt #1, #2, Cinema #1, #2, Palace #1, #2, #3 and Starrs #1, #2.

The second full sheet is dated 3/19-3/25 and it must be from 1979, since the first movie listed in Breaking Away/Little Darlings at the Bridgeport Merritt 1 (480 seats). Then A Force of One at the Merritt 2 (480 seats) All That Jazz (Danbury Cinema 1, 578 seats), Kramer vs Kramer Cinema 2, 563 seats), Coal Miner's Daughter (Danbury Palace 1), Defiance and Force of One/Sensuous Nurse/[Sneak of]Changeling (Palace 2), Fifth Floor/Little Miss Marker (Palace 3), A Force of One/Cruising (Storrs College 1), American Gigolo/The Fog (Storrs College 2).

The attached stapled sheet has concessions for Bridgeport, Palace, Cinema and Storrs but the left side showing the theatres doesn't match. It mentions the New Rochelle Proctors 1 (1014 seats), Proctors 2 (567 seats), Proctor 3 (589 seats) and New Rochelle Main St. (286 seats).

Incredible finds! You ought to post this to some of the other RKO Stanley Warner/Proctor's theaters mentioned...or at least make sure the guys in charge here are aware of it, so they can alert others somehow. This is BIG...really BIG!

Really big? Great. Well, if you want to start the ball rolling, email me at shoeshoe14@yahoo.com and I'll send you the pics.

From today's News-Times. "My goal is to keep the theater active until a full restoration and renovation has taken place."

Palace Theater undergoes a rebirth
By Dirk Perrefort
09/22/2008

DANBURY -- The Palace Theater, which opened 80 years ago this month during the tail end of the roaring 20s, is experiencing a rebirth.
Opened for the first time in years this past spring for the Connecticut Film Festival, groups can now rent the building for fundraisers and other events. A local women's group will be the first to use the building next month.

LouAnn Bloomer, president of The Bridge To Independence and Career Opportunities, said her organization is looking forward to holding a red carpet awards ceremony at the theater Oct. 4.

"We're just so excited to be the first organization that has the opportunity to have an event there," she said. "It's truly a beautiful building. It's a real gem for the city."

She added that the group plans to hold a movie-themed awards dinner complete with red carpet, buffet dinner, cafe tables and theater props.

"It's going to be a great event," she said. "For people to visit the Palace is like going back -- it's opening a piece of history that people remember from their younger years."

Joseph DaSilva Jr., the owner of the Palace Theater on Main Street, said he is opening the building to any group or organization that wants to hold an event there. The building has seating for around 420 people, he said, and he is in the process of making projection equipment available for any groups that want to show movies as part of their event.

"Everything seems to be coming together," he said. "My goal is to keep the theater active until a full restoration and renovation has taken place."

DaSilva said he is in the process of developing a nonprofit organization that will operate the theater, which will open up a wealth of federal and state grants that can assist renovation efforts. Donations to the theater would also be tax-deductible.

"The work has already begun and hopefully in the near future we will be gaining the nonprofit status," he said.

DaSilva is hoping the Palace will once again become a vibrant part of the city's downtown with a variety of different events, including artist showings and performances from nationally known musicians.

"Once it's completed I believe we can probably seat up to 1,800 people there," he said. "It will be a multicultural and multi-use facility. This is the theater's 80th anniversary and it's being reborn."

Mayor Mark Boughton applauded DaSilva's efforts in getting the theater up and running.

"He's been very motivated in the last six months," Boughton said. "I think the film festival earlier this year helped to ignite the spark. I would love to see the building restored to its original luster."

Andrea Gartner, the executive director of CityCenter, said she first realized the role the Palace could play downtown when the theater opened its doors for a digital multimedia showing during the city's New Years Eve celebration last year.

"To be outside on the library plaza and see people coming in and out of the Palace -- it was then that I really understood the keystone that the theater is in downtown development," she said. "Record crowds at the summer concert series and the Taste of Danbury shows there is an appetite for people in the community to come downtown for arts and multicultural entertainment. Danbury is the urban center for the Housatonic Valley region and we should be providing amenities people expect from an urban center such as a performing arts center."

What a trip down memory lane with all these great posts. I think that I am probably one of the oldest readers here. I'll be 85 years old next month (Jan 2009). I remember the early Palace days, when I as a youngster coming home from St Peter's School, would stop and "sneak" into the theatre to catch a glimpse of the flickering wonderful images. Eventually, an usher would catch me, and lead me to the door! But in those early days I remember watching bits of Trader Horn, early-Astaire and Bing Crosby musicals. Still as a child, we attended Saturday matinees courtesy of the management. We received passes for distributing flyers on upcoming movies. Saturday afternoons, we kids would sing en-masse "Hail, Hail the gang's all here, Mary Jane and Alice singing at the Palace" Then we would see the changing colors on the curtain finally part and we would watch never-ending serials, good-guy cowboy and mad-scientist movies. Through my high school days the Palace was there. It was there after I returned from WW2. I saw the decline start even before I moved away in 1960 - and the horrible conditions in subsequent years during my visits there. It would be great to see the Palace return to even a tiny bit iof its glorious past. Keep trying guys!

Hmmmm...How exciting to read and hear about the upcoming re-birth of a theatre! That's a welcome breath of fresh air, with all the closings of theatres and disappearances of most of the graceful old movie palaces here in the United States and throughout the world. Is there a website containing photos of the interior of the Palace Theatre, btw? Just curious.

The landlord is accommodating but if you're in the area, try Dec. 31 from 4-8pm for First Night.

Since I don't live in the area, I don't think I can make it down to Danbury, CT for First Night, but thanks.

According to the local Vision Appraisal site for Danbury (http://data.visionappraisal.com/DanburyCT/findpid.asp?iTable=pid&pid=5010) the Palace's appraised value is $4,472,200 and the assessed value (70% of appraised value) is $3,130,500).

Hmmmmmm..

We were driving by the Palace today and they are doing lots of interior work for the CT Film Fest. They also installed a permanent heater which was great since last year it was cold during movies.

When we arrived at 3pm today, a crew member in a mask was hanging out by the stage door. Apparently, they are renovating the very holey stage and putting new wood in.

While on business this afternoon at Plaid on the top floor of the Empress, they have two pictures in the lobby of the Empress with one of the photos on the left where the Democratic HQ is, showing Furniture Outlet.

Here are two 1986 photos:

Photo1

Photo2

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_12817244

The Palace is open for ANYTHING, according to DaSilva. That's great. Everyone's on board for revitalization. Since the CTFF, it's open for any event at the time and there's been many events since then and pre-CTFF that played as host.

Right on target, the News-Times editorial endorses starting a "Friends of The Palace" and urges community support.

http://www.newstimes.com/opinion/ci_12852684

To all the DaSilva naysayers (i used to be one of them), the man put in $500k into the Palace so far for the CTFF and other events. This is no small amount and is truly a community investment.

Does it have a website? What events is it hosting?

No website yet.

Tbe News-Times editorial from earlier this week announces the CT Trust for Historic Preservation's awarding of a $45,000 grant to study the future of the Palace. DaSilva has promised to add another $10k of his own money.

Forgot to post this last week, but the Danbury Common Council voted to approve going forward with the $50k study on the Palace and the addition of $10k by Joe DaSilva.

There is a nine month window to use all the money and it's not contingent on passing of the state budget, which is good news.

Danbury hires architect to study Palace renovation.
By Robert Miller
10/15/2009

DANBURY -- The city has hired the Hartford-based JCJ Architecture to study what's needed to renovate the Palace Theater on Main Street.

City Planner Dennis Elpern said Thursday that JCJ won out over 24 other firms that submitted bids for the six-month study. A $45,000 grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and a $10,000 donation by the theater's owner, Joseph DaSilva, will pay for the work.

Elpern said JCJ has national experience in theater renovations, including working on the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. And part of the firm's team -- AMS Planning& Research Corp. of Fairfield -- has worked with many theaters in Connecticut and around the United States on theater management.

Elpern said it's important to learn not only whether the Palace can be renovated, but also how -- and if -- if can be run as a successful business.

"We told all the applicants not to tell us what we want to hear," Elpern said. "Tell us what we need to know."

Talk about more diverse programming. The Danbury Museum is teaming up with the Railway Museum to offer a mystery movie night at the Palace on Nov. 7 showing, "Murder on the Orient Express" for $40, including a wine and hors d'oeuvres hour and silent auction.

Not to toot my own horn, but we originally were going to use the rail museum as a venue for the CTFF but it fell apart at the last minute. I spent countless hours programming and acquiring movies while their staff bent over and met with us many times and signed off on it. I was very disappointed it didn't work out. We had 10 railroad movies scheduled every day, the same ones, including Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1950) which was shot at the station, the Danbury Fair and 2 downtown establishments. Warner Brothers gave a collection of stills to them which is always on display.

Glad to see it happen.

Any current photos of this theatre?

Great news. This Saturday, the Palace theater, in conjunction with the CTFF and City Center Danbury, will present the CT Premiere and nationwide, pre-theatrical release of "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" (already shown at Berlin FF). Produced by Roxbury, CT-native and daughter of Henry Miller, Rebecca Miller and filmed in Danbury, Southbury and New Milford; it features a star-studded cast. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134629/

They were filming with all trucks next door to the Palace at the opening night of CTFF '07 and now we can own it.

Welcome Cocktail Reception 6:30pm, Screening at 7:30pm
After Party @ Two Steps Downtown Grille immediately following the film.

Tickets for reception, film and party $10.

http://tinyurl.com/y9ucoq6

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134629/

Vaudeville is back at the Palace as one of many events at First Night Danbury.

http://www.themercurial.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108:first-night-2010-to-be-bigger-better-and-bluer-than-ever-before&catid=3:news&Itemid=2

and to honor the history of the Palace Theater, which opened in 1926 as a vaudeville house, a series of contemporary vaudeville performances hosted by Sean Grissom, who for the past ten years has done similar honors for the Holiday Vaudevilles at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.