Kentucky Theatre

Joe Vogel on October 4, 2010 at 7:01 am

The September 25, 1901, issue of the Paducah sun said that the Kentucky Theatre had been designed by Paducah architect William Brainerd.

An article in the March 9, 1904, issue of the Paducah Sun said that Brainerd had just returned from Henderson, Kentucky, where James English (manager of the Kentucky) was contemplating building a new theater. I’ve been unable to determine of this project was ever carried out.

The July 9, 1904, edition of the Sun said that William Brainerd had been hired to design a new opera house at Owensboro, Kentucky, and that it would be “…a similar plan to the ‘Kentucky’ of this city….” So far I’ve been unable to discover if this theater was built either. If the Owensboro and/or Henderson projects were carried out, they are either not listed at Cinema Treasures or are missing their aka’s.

Joe Vogel on November 26, 2009 at 2:02 am

Boxoffice of December 24, 1955, said “The Kentucky Theatre, 1200-seater at Paducah, Ky., shuttered recently….” The house had long been run by the Keilor family’s Columbia Amusement Company.

The March 2, 1959, issue of Boxoffice reported that the Kentucky Theatre and the adjacent Palmer Hotel were slated to be demolished to make way for a shopping center. One of the partners in the project was Jack Keilor. The item said that the Kentucky Theatre had been built by his grandfather, John W. Keilor, and had opened on September 24, 1901.