Morris Performing Arts Center
211 North Michigan Street,
South Bend,
IN
46601
211 North Michigan Street,
South Bend,
IN
46601
5 people
favorited this theater
Built on par with theaters in much larger cities, the Palace Theater was the location for vaudeville, movies, dancing and more for 37 years. It opened on November 2, 1922.
Faced with declining numbers, the Palace Theater closed in 1959. E. M. Morris then saved the classic theater from destruction and helped reopen it as a performing arts center. The center was named for her.
After years of continued use, the Morris has been undergoing recent renovations. When restoration is completed, the structure, which includes the theater, lobby, and plaza, will return the Morris to its palatial roots.
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 26 comments)
A Kimball theater organ size 3/12 was installed in the Palace (Morris) Theater in 1921.
here are few recent photos:
View link
Cinema Treasures should cross-list the Morris under the name “Palace Theatre”, which is the name by which many old-timers remember it. I know there are gazillions of other “Palace” theaters listed under that name, but that’s precisely why it is frustrating to dig through the whole pile without finding South Bend’s “Palace”.
Seven weeks later, the Morris still hasn’t been cross-listed with the other 367 “Palace” theaters, where most old-timers will look for it. Too bad!
This theater already has aka names of Palace Theater and Morris Civic Audtiorium right above the primary name of Morris Performing Arts Center.
To search for this theater under the Palace name, enter Palace into the search box. When the results are shown, place a check mark in the box “previous names” and click the search button directly below “Show List” and not the search button that you used the first time to perform the search.
1987 Photo
THS will be visiting here the week of 6/22/10-6/29/10.
Not only is the Morris renovation complete, but the adjoining Palais Royale ballroom has been fully restored. It is used frequently, including a New Years Eve. gala every year.
In it’s time as the Palace theater, this theater is one of 3 theaters in South Bend which shared the premier of “Knute Rockne All American”. The Granada theater directly across the street from the Palace, and the Colfax theater, located around the corner from the Palace on W. Colfax were the other two. A fourth theater to house the films' premier was the Fox theater in Philadelphia,( as mentioned in the Cinema Treasures article on that theater). The Morris is the only one of the four to survive today.