Palace Theatre
19 Clinton Avenue,
Albany,
NY
12207
19 Clinton Avenue,
Albany,
NY
12207
11 people
favorited this theater
The Palace Theatre was opened in October 1931. It was built by Fabian Securities Ltd. and leased to RKO. Seating is provided for 1,541 in the orchestra and 1,303 in the balcony. The proscenium is 63 feet wide and the stage 33 feet deep. In 1960, it was renovated and a new facade and marquee were installed over the entrance. The Palace Theatre was closed as a movie theatre in September 1969.
It was purchased from Fabian by the city, for use as a civic auditorium. In 1979, it was placed on the Register of Historic Places. Many stars such as The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springstein, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Melisa Etheridge and Jerry Seinfeld have performed on the Palace stage. The Palace Theatre is also home to the Albany Symphony Orchestra.
Extensive renovations were carried out in 2002, and a replica of the original 1931 marquee was installed in 2004. Now part of Albany’s resurging theatre district, the Palace Theatre is home to concerts and live shows. Once a vibrant movie palace, it has risen again as a prime venue for concerts in the state capital.
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Recent comments (view all 119 comments)
Patsy….As soon as I get a chance, I’ll explain it to you via email.
The Palace hosted many a concert in the late 70’s and into the 80’s. Devo, the Tubes, Elvis Costello as well as comedy acts. The back stage area is also enlarged to accomodate larger road show engagements. Of course, Proctors in Schenectady added to it’s back stage to promote larger Broadways tours.
1980 Photo
As a lifelong Albany resident I was thrilled with the renovation of the Palace. I saw a couple of movies there as a kid (including Bambi)and have enjoyed many, many concerts there through the years. Unfortunately, someone ran a car into the front doors at least a year ago and half of the front doors were boarded up. I don’t understand why they have not been repaired yet. Could they plan on leaving this beautiful theater with half the entrance covered in plywood? Also, there are some areas of peeling paint in the theater. Whoever did the restoration should have to come back and repair what has not held up. It would be a shame to let the theater fall back into disrepair.
This 1951 photo comes courtesy of LIFE …
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Cool history and photos.
2009 photo of the Palace Theatre.
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A few years ago, someone SOMEWHERE on the web posted pictures of the Palace Projection booth that were taken in the 80’s showing the OLD booth before restoration with the old 1950’s era RCA equipment. Anyone have any idea where these pictures appeared? Dozens of Google searches have given me nothing.
An article on Fabian’s Palace, with photos, appeared in Boxoffice magazine, August 7, 1961:
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Improved link for 1951 photo mentioned above on 7/24/09: View link