Palace Theater
219 N. Main Street,
Tulsa,
OK
74103
219 N. Main Street,
Tulsa,
OK
74103
1 person
favorited this theater
This early theater showed silent films, including Pearl White in “Perils of Pauline”. It was re-modeled in 1935.
Contributed by
Lauren Grubb
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
The Palace Theatre was remodeled in 1935 and the architect for the remodel was Joseph R. Koberling.
According to court documents, Tulsa’s downtown Palace Theater was already in operation prior to 1910.
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Listed here are Architect J. R. Koberling’s other designs …
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From the Tulsa Historical Society:
The Palace theater
“This theater, originally the Wonderland, was remodeled in 1935 by Joseph R. Koberling, Jr. Koberling incorporated 1930s materials into the Zigzag Art Deco elements of the 1920s. The facade was extended with a light buff color stucco. A metal marquee was added, which provided shelter for patrons as they entered the theater. The Palace Theater was demolished in 1973”.
The Palace is visible on the left side of this 1943 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/22tpke
At the time of this writing e-bay has up for bid a postcard view of this theatre when it was still known as the Wonderland, shown before the Art Deco redo.
Other antique postcards with theatre views are the Frontier City Cinema, OKC, a 1920 color view of the Hippodrome, Okmulgee, and the Hinton (AKA-Ritz), Muskogee.
Here is a c1908 photo of the Palace when it was still known as the Wonderland, marked by arched entrance on photo right…
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/D8162.jpg
I hate to disappoint members who have viewed the large vertical “Palace” sign in some of the pictures of Tulsa’s Main Street, but that sign belonged to Palace Clothiers at the northwest corner of 4th and Main, and there was no theatre associated with it. The sign was in VERY good company, however. The Ritz theatre with it’s glitzy incandescent and neon vertical and elegantly curved marquee was a half block west on the south side of 4th Street, the Orpheum, with it’s refined incandescent vertical was a half block east on the south side of 4th Street. The Majestic was on the west side of Main Street and two doors south of 4th. The Tulsa was a block and a half north on the east side of Main Street. I don’t remember the Palace Theatre but according to the address listed, it was five or six blocks north of Palace Clothiers. By the way, Tulsa’s other “major” downtown house was the Rialto (originally the Empress and later the first Orpheum). It was on the north side of 3rd Street, between a half block east of Main Street.
An understandable mistake, fellas, but the Palace became the Tulsa Theatre.
Up on Main and Second, the Wonder Land Nickelodeon was renamed Strand Theatre.
Look at this 1885 shot, its a fun image of one of Tulsa’s earliest theatres, photo caption tells all.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A0404.jpg
1920 Tulsa Directory, page 46, list the Palace Theatre (moving pictures), 219 S. Main, seating cap- 400, Prop- Palace Theatre Co.
http://cdm15020.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/p15020coll12&CISOPTR=1603&REC=19