RKO Palace Theater
71 Clinton Avenue,
Rochester,
NY
14604
71 Clinton Avenue,
Rochester,
NY
14604
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 26 comments
1965 demolition photo added courtesy Dolores Scherzi Imburgia.
I went to the RKO Palace in Rochester back in 1963 when I visited the city from Canada. Can’t remember what the movie was. The balcony was closed and there were very few people there. It was obvious that in its glory days it was a magnificent theatre so I was glad to have been there before it closed.
December 25th, 1928 grand opening ad in photo section.
Newspaper image added courtesy of Len Laurro.
I don’t know the numerical address of the RKO Palace, but I do recall going there so many times. It had a front entrance, on S. Clinton Ave., and a side entrance on Mortimer St. It was torn down in order to build a circular apartment building or buildings, but that never happened, and since it’s demise, it remained a parking lot. I recall losing my Rochester Red Wings Hat there, when the teams hats were Dark Blue Crown, a Red Bill, and a large R over the bill. Here is a clip I found on line Rochester’s RKO Palace Theater,
https://www.pinterest.com/edmcewen/rochester-ny/
September 1965. A sign is hung on the marquee proclaiming this the site of new $10 Million dollar twin towers. The theater was demolished and no towers were ever built on the site. [PHOTO: Courtesy of Rochester Theater Organ Society]
Link to more info and photographs of the RKO Palace
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=photos+of+the+RKO+Palace+Rochester+NY&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
1942 photo added courtesy of the Y-Block Guy Facebook page.
FYI, there are never before seen photos of the RKO Rochester on a website called www.RochesterSubway.com Go to the “Select Month” feature, and click on “October 2012”. Then scroll down until you see the photos.
I’m unable to attach the link since CT changed their page format.
Does anyone remember when a temporary screen was transported into the Palace to screen a 3 projection movie called Cinerama. The Screen was huge and extended beyond both sides of the stage. The movie was a spectacular but was only shown for approximately a month. It was outstanding for its time and dwarfed Cinemascope movies of that era.
I played a concert on the RKO Palace Wurlitzer in the Auditorium theatre last December. It is one of the best wurlitzer theatre organs you will ever hear.
Hi Warren, right now you may well be the one person at this website that knows the most about the RKO Temple in Rochester. It was torn down when I was very young and I don’t have any distinct memories of it at all. It may even have been torn down before I was born. I have memories of the block it sat on being cleared, but the theatre may have already been gone before then. If you were to start a posting on it you would be doing us a service! There was another theatre near the Temple called the “Victoria”, but I also have no memories of that.
Warren; The Temple Theatre is listed in the American Motion Picture Directory 1914- 1915 edition. The address was 37 Clinton Avenue S., Rochester, NY
ziggy: And the site you posted on July 20th was most interesting especially the collection of Palace photos. Such a shame that Rochester has lost this beautiful theatre in 1965 to urban renewal. The exterior was breathtaking and the interior lobby photo(with Christmas tree) was even more so.
kohoutek: Watching the demolition video that you posted on Feb. 9th of this theatre was very heartbreaking and so sad for the citizens of Rochester! The wrecking ball had taken down the brick wall and the parking lot behind was visible from the once opulent auditorium. Does anyone have memories of this grand old lady?
ziggy: Glad to read that the Rochester Theatre Organ Society is taking care of the Palace Theatre’s Wurlitzer. I have friends who are members of MTOS (Metrolina Theatre Organ Society) in Charlotte NC so they will appreciate this bit of organ news.
Hi Patsy, I realize it’s 4 months after you asked, but the Palace Theatre’s Wurlitzer is now installed in the Auditorium Theatre on the other side of downtown, and is very well cared for by the Rochester Theatre Organ Society.
And what happened to the RKO Palace Wurlitzer organ? The Wurlitzer organ in the Tennessee was removed, restored and re-installed which is the way it should be!
What in the world was going on with the City of Rochester when this RKO Palace was brought down? I’m sure the preservationists weren’t as active or even a well organized group back then as they are now!
And the RTOS site is fascinating to view as the b/w slide show is complete, but very sad to watch as the RKO was a beautifully ornate downtown theatre that is gone forever.
I just found this link after researching the architect names of Graven and Mayger. I am truly saddened and appalled at what the City of Rochester did in regards to their RKO Palace in 1965 and now the site is a PARKING LOT! The City of Rochester should hang their heads in shame!
You can see fascinating shots of this grand old gal being demolished at at the following websites;
www.wroctv.com/features/story.asp?id=222&f=News_8_Then
www.wroctv.com/features/story.asp?id=219&f=News_8_Then
I remember visiting the RKO Palace in late 1962 during a visit to Rochester. The balcony was closed off and the theatre seemed a bit run down. I wished I had been there during its better days.
It would have made great showplace for Rochester but back then I don’t think many people gave much thought to saving old theatres. The demolition of many grand old theatres across North America was just beginning.
The RKO Palace closed on 2nd August 1965 and demolition of the building was completed four months later.
You can go to the site for the Rochester Theatre Organ Society at http://theatreorgans.com/rochestr/index.htm and click on the “Photographic Memories of Rochester’s RKO Palace to see a slide show of black and white photos of this theatre.
Hi Hilarie. If you have access to the Rochester Public Library their local history department used to have photos of several Rochester theatres, including the Palace. You might also try the Rochester Historical Society. If you’re not local (even if you are) you can contact the Rochester Theatre Organ Society. They may have some photos they are willing to share with you. You can probably get their contact info from the internet. As a final possibility, there is a series of books called “Images of America”, their volume on “Rochester Labor and Leisure” has some interior and exterior photos.
Does anyone have a photo of this theater?