Palace Theater
West Main Street,
Meriden,
CT
West Main Street,
Meriden,
CT
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The finest of the “classic” theaters in Meriden, CT, to have been demolished. I don’t recall that much about it, as my one and only visit there was in 1962 to see “Dr. No”. I remember the place was very ornate, cavernous, and featured at least one balcony. The ceiling had a circular opening and some sort of chandelier or blue lights in the form of stars.
The Palace was renamed the 7 Arts in the mid 1960s, briefly. Torn down in 1969-70. The lot has remained vacant for the last 35 years!
Contributed by
Bob Whitworth
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
If you look down Main Street on the left, you will see the marquee of what I believe was the Palace in 1948:
http://tinyurl.com/ketn5
In response to the posting above from “ken mc,” I believe that view is of Meriden, CT, looking EAST on Main Street toward City Hall, and that the movie theater marquee is of the POLI Theater. My grandmother, who lived to be 101 years old and who passed away a few months before 9/11, told me she used to go to that theater when she was a kid, and saw vaudeville acts there. She said it had at least two balconies. For those who live in Meriden, the estimated former location of the POLI is directly across from the 1968/69 era former Central Bank for Savings, on what used to be known as “Parcel 8.” Unfortunate that Meriden, which was named as the nation’s “Ideal War Community” during WWII is now a location where everything USED to be. Very sad.
In 1955 the Palace Theater had 850 seats.
It is possible that the Palace and the Poli are the same theater. S.Z. Poli once operated a chain of the theaters in Connecticut and Massachusetts, many of which were named “Palace;” many were Thomas Lamb designs.