Palace Theatre
468 Main Street,
New Britain,
CT
06051
468 Main Street,
New Britain,
CT
06051
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Many thanks to “lostmemory” for the photo information!
I was the manager of the Palace in 1964. We showed the first Beatles, “Help” and had 1250 seats.
I saw an eBay listing of a ca.1913 postcard showing the New Britain Opera House building with a vertical sign reading Keeney’s. Keeney’s Theatre at New Britain is mentioned in the December 21, 1907, issue of The Billboard as well, so (assuming that Keeney’s didn’t switch locations during the period) this must have been the theater’s name for several years.
The 1899-1900 Cahn Guide lists the house as the Cosmopolitan Opera House, with New Britain Opera House as an AKA.
Should have mentioned…Capitol Lunch is now on same side of street as Palace was.
See Embassy Theatre for info on Russwin Lyceum, as they were in same location. Book, Images of America: New Britain, Vol II has photo of both marquees. Anyway, found Palace while doing research on Capitol Lunch (famous sauced hotdogs). I have a photo of North end of Main, looking South toward what is now Rt 72. Palace is on right, Capitol Lunch on left (where New bright Plaza is now). Today it would be somewhere between Webster Bank and Yankee Peddlar and Pawn.
The Palace was north of the center of town on Main Street, not south of town where the Hole in the Wall is now located. It was a big theater, seating over 1200. Toward the end of its life, it succumbed to showing only “adult” movies. It suffered mysterious fire damage in 1979 and was subsequently torn down.
There is only one theater listed under New Britain CT in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, the “Russwin Lyceum”. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses in this Guide. The Russwin Lyceum was on the ground floor of its building, had a stage which was 42 feet deep and had 1,138 seats. There was also a Hotel Russwin in New Britain. Curiously, the list of people associated with this theater states that the advertising agent for the Russwin Lyceum is the “manager of Opera House.”
The year given for this photo is 1969.
I am a member of the Hole in the Wall Theater at 116 Main St. Alas, we are not in the space of any prior theater. HITW is a performing arts theater located in a building immediately adjacent to the Andrews Building. The building we are in is a three story office building, with the theater occupying the ground floor. In the late 1800’s a wood frame church sat on this site and interestingly enough vestiges of that structure still are part of the current building. It if makes anyone feel better, the Andrews building has been renovated into office space and a restaurant is moving into the ground floor. Another community organization has purchased the Trinity Methodist church and is preserving the building while converting it to a Performing Arts Center. The RAO building is also being renovated into apartments, so at least in downtown New Britain, once vacant old buildings are being saved and renovated for new uses.Several years ago, the City of New Brtiain renovated the Gates building downtown to house the Board of Education. So, while all the old theaters have gone, there is a renewed attitude about preserving what is left.
Oops. I meant 1881.
This is a photo of a fire at a Palace Theater in New Britain, CT. Caption reads:
Palace Theater fire in New Britain. New Britain Chief William B. Noble giving orders to men operating pipe from the ladder of a Seagrave aerial truck. Jan. 8, 1926.
It was originally called Hanna’s Opera House and opened in May 1981 with Faust which was the only time the opera was there.
Info from Images of America: New Britain, Volume I. Picture on page 96, close up of the Sullivan (Big) Band. Page 122, a fan with Beatles pins in front of the Palace’s 3-sided marquee.
Images of America: New Britain, Volume II. Page 39, top, removing the chandelier for the Palace in 1981. The refurbishing was halted in 1980 because of fire damage and water damage.
Added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1977
New Britain Opera House (added 1977 – Building – #77001421)
Also known as Palace Theater
466-468 Main St., New Britain
Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Architect, builder, or engineer: Hill,Robert W.
Architectural Style: Other
Area of Significance: Performing Arts, Architecture
Period of Significance: 1875-1899
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Music Facility
Current Function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function: Specialty Store, Theater
If he kept driving into the marquee, why didn’t he figure out a different route?
http://tinyurl.com/yfq4pt
Oh, it’s on Main Street, I think it’s in the Andrews Building. The Hole in the Wall Theatre Group uses it as their new home.
East Main Street used to end at Main Street. The Palace Theatre sat on Main Street directly across from where East Main ended. After the Palace was demolished, the city continued ‘East Main’ across Main, although I don’t think the portion west of Main is called ‘East Main.’ I left Connecticut 30 years ago.
I’m not familiar with the ‘Hole in the Wall Theatre.’ Where is it?
I don’t know what sits there now, maybe it’s the building that houses the new location for Hole in the Wall Theatre?
I grew up in the New Britain area, and recall that the Palace spent it final years showing ‘action films,’ and finally X-rated fare. In the end the place was pretty threadbare. An ignominious end for a building whose brownstone front bore the words ‘Opera House.’
What’s in its place?
Before it’s demolition this theatre was on the National Register of Historic Places.