I stopped by last week while riding the nearby bike trail. It’s in the center of town. The large stage house and auditorium are very visible. I was exploring the back and the 2 “owners” asked what I was doing and I told them I was a theater architecture buff and I contributed to this site. They were happy to hear of it and invited me to see the place on a Sunday when they had services. There are pilasters on the side and the front and white and red brick. There were 4 sets of 2 windows across the front, in long arches. The side (of the lobby) and the front trim under the roof was decorative in red, white and blue. The auditorium is red brick and there’s one black metal staircase leading to a now, nonexistent door.
There are 2 great full shots of the Palace in this week’s Play, the entertainment weekly for the New Haven area (4/18/07). The articles are online, but not the pics. Page 13 shows a great shot from the balcony of the grand ceiling, the stage, proscenium and the walls. Page 15 shows the outside marquee with the headline “A royal facelift for the Palace.” The articles were about the magician David Martin and the author Candace Bushnell, of “Sex and the City”.
Two new developments. The building is now called “Empress Professional Center” with that name imposed on the metal parking signs in back.
The Empress officially closed 2 weeks ago and the place is now renamed “Heirloom Arts Theatre”. They had a benefit opening night last Saturday and the place will be a variety of things, like cinema, bar and a performing arts place. The Empress had constant all-ages shows with touring bands, but it became old too quick and often didn’t attract many others. You can visit them at myspace.com/heirloomartstheatre
Why do you always ask questions to no one on here? You seem to be the only one who posts comments on this page. When I see you post a comment, there’s usually a question mark and then an apology to me. CALL THE THEATRE AND ASK THEM!
I saw Max Creek here in April of 2001 (myself and other fans flew out from Connecticut to support them). Nice interior as I remember. I believe there was a wraparound balcony with tables and chairs. They also played the Gothic and the Fox in Boulder.
Small world. I spent the night at my friend’s house in Waterbury and his roommate and I chatted about how when he was the janitor/maintenance man for the entire North Street Shopping Center and the movie theater in the early 1980s. He said nothing significant really happened at the theater until it was scheduled for demolition. He was on the roof taking samples to make sure there was no asbestos when it all came down. Unfortunately, there was 2 inches of water on the roof and it all came down and completely destroyed all the seats that were going to be sold.
The Palace was mentioned in an April 5, 2007 editorial in the News-Times regarding the oft-mentioned new owner of the Bank Street Theatre in New Milford. What’s strange is the editorial obviously refers to the theater but not in name. It’s assumed everyone in town knows what they mean.
Good move
Danbury should follow New Milford’s lead in saving downtown theater
Apr 05 2007
We have to agree with Richard Freedman. He thinks New Milford is lucky to have found Gary Goldring, the entrepreneur from Sherman who bought the Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford, and so do we.
The old theater with the distinctive Art Deco exterior is a downtown landmark.
Freedman certainly has an informed opinion as he is the one who sold the gem to Goldring. The price tag was $1 million, the same amount paid by Freedman two years ago, even though he invested more with lobby renovations and new seats. Whether it is generosity or market reality, we are glad to see the building sold at that price instead of languishing for years.
Mayor Patricia Murphy rolled up her sleeves and, as she said, “went chasing” the buyer, who had earlier indicated interest in doing business in New Milford. This is one more piece of evidence that she has made economic development a priority.
Granted, a movie theater does not have the tax impact that would come with some larger potential projects, but it has considerable cultural impact.
In the early days of moving pictures, nearly every thriving downtown had its own theater and many even had competing theaters. Some were converted from vaudeville stages and most had elaborate decorations that are nearly cost prohibitive to duplicate now.
Cities that have restored their wonderful old theaters — the Shubert in New Haven and the Palace in Waterbury come to mind — have not only preserved a bit of history, but also have attracted complementary growth with restaurants and shops.
When will it be Danbury’s turn? The city’s old theater, also privately owned like New Milford’s, has sat sadly empty for years, right on Main Street.
New Milford has shown that with ingenuity deals can happen. Let’s take a step in Danbury and get talking about how the Hat City’s own piece of history can be saved.
The Palace was mentioned in an April 5, 2007, News-Times editorial on the new owner of the Bank Street Theatre in New Milford.
Good move
Danbury should follow New Milford’s lead in saving downtown theater
Apr 05 2007
We have to agree with Richard Freedman. He thinks New Milford is lucky to have found Gary Goldring, the entrepreneur from Sherman who bought the Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford, and so do we.
The old theater with the distinctive Art Deco exterior is a downtown landmark.
Freedman certainly has an informed opinion as he is the one who sold the gem to Goldring. The price tag was $1 million, the same amount paid by Freedman two years ago, even though he invested more with lobby renovations and new seats. Whether it is generosity or market reality, we are glad to see the building sold at that price instead of languishing for years.
Mayor Patricia Murphy rolled up her sleeves and, as she said, “went chasing” the buyer, who had earlier indicated interest in doing business in New Milford. This is one more piece of evidence that she has made economic development a priority.
Granted, a movie theater does not have the tax impact that would come with some larger potential projects, but it has considerable cultural impact.
In the early days of moving pictures, nearly every thriving downtown had its own theater and many even had competing theaters. Some were converted from vaudeville stages and most had elaborate decorations that are nearly cost prohibitive to duplicate now.
Cities that have restored their wonderful old theaters — the Shubert in New Haven and the Palace in Waterbury come to mind — have not only preserved a bit of history, but also have attracted complementary growth with restaurants and shops.
When will it be Danbury’s turn? The city’s old theater, also privately owned like New Milford’s, has sat sadly empty for years, right on Main Street.
New Milford has shown that with ingenuity deals can happen. Let’s take a step in Danbury and get talking about how the Hat City’s own piece of history can be saved.
This theatre was again mentioned in the local news, in the News-Times editorial from April 5, 2007.
Good move
Danbury should follow New Milford’s lead in saving downtown theater
Apr 05 2007
We have to agree with Richard Freedman. He thinks New Milford is lucky to have found Gary Goldring, the entrepreneur from Sherman who bought the Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford, and so do we.
The old theater with the distinctive Art Deco exterior is a downtown landmark.
Freedman certainly has an informed opinion as he is the one who sold the gem to Goldring. The price tag was $1 million, the same amount paid by Freedman two years ago, even though he invested more with lobby renovations and new seats. Whether it is generosity or market reality, we are glad to see the building sold at that price instead of languishing for years.
Mayor Patricia Murphy rolled up her sleeves and, as she said, “went chasing” the buyer, who had earlier indicated interest in doing business in New Milford. This is one more piece of evidence that she has made economic development a priority.
Granted, a movie theater does not have the tax impact that would come with some larger potential projects, but it has considerable cultural impact.
In the early days of moving pictures, nearly every thriving downtown had its own theater and many even had competing theaters. Some were converted from vaudeville stages and most had elaborate decorations that are nearly cost prohibitive to duplicate now.
Cities that have restored their wonderful old theaters — the Shubert in New Haven and the Palace in Waterbury come to mind — have not only preserved a bit of history, but also have attracted complementary growth with restaurants and shops.
When will it be Danbury’s turn? The city’s old theater, also privately owned like New Milford’s, has sat sadly empty for years, right on Main Street.
New Milford has shown that with ingenuity deals can happen. Let’s take a step in Danbury and get talking about how the Hat City’s own piece of history can be saved.
First time since 1994 that I’ve seen a movie here. Saw “Blades of Glory” here yesterday. I love the new shape of the building. The centerpiece of the angle is blue and is a faux Art Deco. Auditorium #10 was room, comfy seats and high ceilings with lit up aisles. My father was extremely pissed about the “senior” discount was $7.50 for a matinee. I would’ve been too. I miss the old Cinema 10 because it was all red brick with white detail and the box office was outside. I miss the old carpet and running up the side stairs to the balcony. It’s not the same, but it looks nice anyway.
I stopped by last week while riding the nearby bike trail. It’s in the center of town. The large stage house and auditorium are very visible. I was exploring the back and the 2 “owners” asked what I was doing and I told them I was a theater architecture buff and I contributed to this site. They were happy to hear of it and invited me to see the place on a Sunday when they had services. There are pilasters on the side and the front and white and red brick. There were 4 sets of 2 windows across the front, in long arches. The side (of the lobby) and the front trim under the roof was decorative in red, white and blue. The auditorium is red brick and there’s one black metal staircase leading to a now, nonexistent door.
There are 2 great full shots of the Palace in this week’s Play, the entertainment weekly for the New Haven area (4/18/07). The articles are online, but not the pics. Page 13 shows a great shot from the balcony of the grand ceiling, the stage, proscenium and the walls. Page 15 shows the outside marquee with the headline “A royal facelift for the Palace.” The articles were about the magician David Martin and the author Candace Bushnell, of “Sex and the City”.
Two new developments. The building is now called “Empress Professional Center” with that name imposed on the metal parking signs in back.
The Empress officially closed 2 weeks ago and the place is now renamed “Heirloom Arts Theatre”. They had a benefit opening night last Saturday and the place will be a variety of things, like cinema, bar and a performing arts place. The Empress had constant all-ages shows with touring bands, but it became old too quick and often didn’t attract many others. You can visit them at myspace.com/heirloomartstheatre
www.starplexcinemas.com
First-run, family movies and an arcade are at every Starplex Theater.
Was Art Deco and was a twin.
Now East Chase Market 9 (UA).
Per Starplex’s site, they are open.
This theater is open per the website.
Why do you always ask questions to no one on here? You seem to be the only one who posts comments on this page. When I see you post a comment, there’s usually a question mark and then an apology to me. CALL THE THEATRE AND ASK THEM!
I saw Max Creek here in April of 2001 (myself and other fans flew out from Connecticut to support them). Nice interior as I remember. I believe there was a wraparound balcony with tables and chairs. They also played the Gothic and the Fox in Boulder.
Nope. It’s now retail http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=22285
Regal has this one and it’s open on their website.
Now called Tower City Center.
Closed in 2003.
I heard this was one of the first wide screen theaters built in the 1920s.
This site is re-opening on April 20, 2007 under Teicher Theatres as the Airline Drive-In 2.
The theatre opened in 1986.
www.chunkys.com
Small world. I spent the night at my friend’s house in Waterbury and his roommate and I chatted about how when he was the janitor/maintenance man for the entire North Street Shopping Center and the movie theater in the early 1980s. He said nothing significant really happened at the theater until it was scheduled for demolition. He was on the roof taking samples to make sure there was no asbestos when it all came down. Unfortunately, there was 2 inches of water on the roof and it all came down and completely destroyed all the seats that were going to be sold.
The Palace was mentioned in an April 5, 2007 editorial in the News-Times regarding the oft-mentioned new owner of the Bank Street Theatre in New Milford. What’s strange is the editorial obviously refers to the theater but not in name. It’s assumed everyone in town knows what they mean.
Good move
Danbury should follow New Milford’s lead in saving downtown theater
Apr 05 2007
We have to agree with Richard Freedman. He thinks New Milford is lucky to have found Gary Goldring, the entrepreneur from Sherman who bought the Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford, and so do we.
The old theater with the distinctive Art Deco exterior is a downtown landmark.
Freedman certainly has an informed opinion as he is the one who sold the gem to Goldring. The price tag was $1 million, the same amount paid by Freedman two years ago, even though he invested more with lobby renovations and new seats. Whether it is generosity or market reality, we are glad to see the building sold at that price instead of languishing for years.
Mayor Patricia Murphy rolled up her sleeves and, as she said, “went chasing” the buyer, who had earlier indicated interest in doing business in New Milford. This is one more piece of evidence that she has made economic development a priority.
Granted, a movie theater does not have the tax impact that would come with some larger potential projects, but it has considerable cultural impact.
In the early days of moving pictures, nearly every thriving downtown had its own theater and many even had competing theaters. Some were converted from vaudeville stages and most had elaborate decorations that are nearly cost prohibitive to duplicate now.
Cities that have restored their wonderful old theaters — the Shubert in New Haven and the Palace in Waterbury come to mind — have not only preserved a bit of history, but also have attracted complementary growth with restaurants and shops.
When will it be Danbury’s turn? The city’s old theater, also privately owned like New Milford’s, has sat sadly empty for years, right on Main Street.
New Milford has shown that with ingenuity deals can happen. Let’s take a step in Danbury and get talking about how the Hat City’s own piece of history can be saved.
The Palace was mentioned in an April 5, 2007, News-Times editorial on the new owner of the Bank Street Theatre in New Milford.
Good move
Danbury should follow New Milford’s lead in saving downtown theater
Apr 05 2007
We have to agree with Richard Freedman. He thinks New Milford is lucky to have found Gary Goldring, the entrepreneur from Sherman who bought the Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford, and so do we.
The old theater with the distinctive Art Deco exterior is a downtown landmark.
Freedman certainly has an informed opinion as he is the one who sold the gem to Goldring. The price tag was $1 million, the same amount paid by Freedman two years ago, even though he invested more with lobby renovations and new seats. Whether it is generosity or market reality, we are glad to see the building sold at that price instead of languishing for years.
Mayor Patricia Murphy rolled up her sleeves and, as she said, “went chasing” the buyer, who had earlier indicated interest in doing business in New Milford. This is one more piece of evidence that she has made economic development a priority.
Granted, a movie theater does not have the tax impact that would come with some larger potential projects, but it has considerable cultural impact.
In the early days of moving pictures, nearly every thriving downtown had its own theater and many even had competing theaters. Some were converted from vaudeville stages and most had elaborate decorations that are nearly cost prohibitive to duplicate now.
Cities that have restored their wonderful old theaters — the Shubert in New Haven and the Palace in Waterbury come to mind — have not only preserved a bit of history, but also have attracted complementary growth with restaurants and shops.
When will it be Danbury’s turn? The city’s old theater, also privately owned like New Milford’s, has sat sadly empty for years, right on Main Street.
New Milford has shown that with ingenuity deals can happen. Let’s take a step in Danbury and get talking about how the Hat City’s own piece of history can be saved.
This theatre was again mentioned in the local news, in the News-Times editorial from April 5, 2007.
Good move
Danbury should follow New Milford’s lead in saving downtown theater
Apr 05 2007
We have to agree with Richard Freedman. He thinks New Milford is lucky to have found Gary Goldring, the entrepreneur from Sherman who bought the Bank Street Theater in downtown New Milford, and so do we.
The old theater with the distinctive Art Deco exterior is a downtown landmark.
Freedman certainly has an informed opinion as he is the one who sold the gem to Goldring. The price tag was $1 million, the same amount paid by Freedman two years ago, even though he invested more with lobby renovations and new seats. Whether it is generosity or market reality, we are glad to see the building sold at that price instead of languishing for years.
Mayor Patricia Murphy rolled up her sleeves and, as she said, “went chasing” the buyer, who had earlier indicated interest in doing business in New Milford. This is one more piece of evidence that she has made economic development a priority.
Granted, a movie theater does not have the tax impact that would come with some larger potential projects, but it has considerable cultural impact.
In the early days of moving pictures, nearly every thriving downtown had its own theater and many even had competing theaters. Some were converted from vaudeville stages and most had elaborate decorations that are nearly cost prohibitive to duplicate now.
Cities that have restored their wonderful old theaters — the Shubert in New Haven and the Palace in Waterbury come to mind — have not only preserved a bit of history, but also have attracted complementary growth with restaurants and shops.
When will it be Danbury’s turn? The city’s old theater, also privately owned like New Milford’s, has sat sadly empty for years, right on Main Street.
New Milford has shown that with ingenuity deals can happen. Let’s take a step in Danbury and get talking about how the Hat City’s own piece of history can be saved.
I can’t find it in this week’s Weekly, but I read it. It’s still under renovation. Two Boots will be opening by this month’s end, though.
First time since 1994 that I’ve seen a movie here. Saw “Blades of Glory” here yesterday. I love the new shape of the building. The centerpiece of the angle is blue and is a faux Art Deco. Auditorium #10 was room, comfy seats and high ceilings with lit up aisles. My father was extremely pissed about the “senior” discount was $7.50 for a matinee. I would’ve been too. I miss the old Cinema 10 because it was all red brick with white detail and the box office was outside. I miss the old carpet and running up the side stairs to the balcony. It’s not the same, but it looks nice anyway.