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Connor Palace
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Connor Palace
The Connor Palace, also known as the Palace Theatre and historically as the RKO Palace, is a theater at 1615 Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, part of Playhouse Square.
Construction on Connor Palace began in the early 1920s and was the last of the four main theaters to be built in Cleveland's historic Playhouse Square. It was also the most expensive at an estimated $2 to 3.5 million. Edward F. Albee built it along with the three other main theaters, the Allen Theatre, Ohio Theatre (renamed the Mimi Ohio Theatre, and State Theater (renamed KeyBank State Theatre). Albee was a vaudeville impresario who founded the Keith-Albee Orpheum vaudeville chain and wanted to make Playhouse Square the flagship of his company.
The theatre was originally named the B. F Keith-Albee Palace Theatre, sometimes known as the B. F. Keith Palace Theatre or just Palace Theatre, in memory of Albee's partner Benjamin F. Keith, who died several years earlier in 1914. Alongside Albee in this endeavor was John Lorange, coined by newspapers as "the Father of Playhouse Square." Lorange and his partners had long since been aware of the expiring leases of many small theaters in the area and began buying up property along Euclid Avenue that would later be known as Playhouse Square. They wanted to revamp the area that had long since deteriorated and make it the center of entertainment in the Midwest.
Once the properties were bought, Albee was added to the project. The project had a mostly positive reception, with many locals excited about the idea of Cleveland becoming an entertainment hub akin to New York City and Broadway. However, some had doubts as Doan's Corner, as it was coined, was considered worthless real estate. A few years earlier, a local real estate tycoon had recommended to his customers that they "have nothing to do with Doan's Corner or you'll drop your bankrolls."
Albee and his partner had faced previous backlash when they embarked on a similar project in Boston. However, Albee ignored the hacklers, and Playhouse Square and Palace Theatre were a resounding success.
The theatre was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Rapp and Rapp in the French Renaissance Style. The theatre was built with 154 chandlers, most of which have survived and sat 3,100 people. The interior was decorated with over a hundred paintings and various artworks from several famous artists. The main lobby dubbed the Main Hall, served as a gallery of sorts holding an impressive collection of thirty paintings. It held works from European masters such as Corot and Poussin.
A popular picture spot for visitors is the Blue Urn, which still stands near the main entrance today. It was created in Sevres, Italy, pre-World War I, and was picked by Albee personally at a local antique shop. It weighs a total of 325 pounds and is made of porcelain and Numidian marble. The theatre was built within the Keith Building and housed the largest electrical sign in the world on its roof. The modern Playhouse Square sign that overlooks U.S. Bank Plaza is a nod to the original sign.
The theatre had many amenities, which drew in many famous vaudeville performers who were eager to perform in such a state-of-the-art vicinity such as Grace Hayes and The Casinos. The backstage alone housed an indoor golf course, barber shop, manicure table, billiard room, and even a children's playroom. They also had a bronze switchboard with a marble border that was the only one in the world at the time. The theatre's paneling was painted in a deep mulberry shade that would later be affectionately coined "Albee Red" due to Albee's fondness for the color.
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Connor Palace
The Connor Palace, also known as the Palace Theatre and historically as the RKO Palace, is a theater at 1615 Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, part of Playhouse Square.
Construction on Connor Palace began in the early 1920s and was the last of the four main theaters to be built in Cleveland's historic Playhouse Square. It was also the most expensive at an estimated $2 to 3.5 million. Edward F. Albee built it along with the three other main theaters, the Allen Theatre, Ohio Theatre (renamed the Mimi Ohio Theatre, and State Theater (renamed KeyBank State Theatre). Albee was a vaudeville impresario who founded the Keith-Albee Orpheum vaudeville chain and wanted to make Playhouse Square the flagship of his company.
The theatre was originally named the B. F Keith-Albee Palace Theatre, sometimes known as the B. F. Keith Palace Theatre or just Palace Theatre, in memory of Albee's partner Benjamin F. Keith, who died several years earlier in 1914. Alongside Albee in this endeavor was John Lorange, coined by newspapers as "the Father of Playhouse Square." Lorange and his partners had long since been aware of the expiring leases of many small theaters in the area and began buying up property along Euclid Avenue that would later be known as Playhouse Square. They wanted to revamp the area that had long since deteriorated and make it the center of entertainment in the Midwest.
Once the properties were bought, Albee was added to the project. The project had a mostly positive reception, with many locals excited about the idea of Cleveland becoming an entertainment hub akin to New York City and Broadway. However, some had doubts as Doan's Corner, as it was coined, was considered worthless real estate. A few years earlier, a local real estate tycoon had recommended to his customers that they "have nothing to do with Doan's Corner or you'll drop your bankrolls."
Albee and his partner had faced previous backlash when they embarked on a similar project in Boston. However, Albee ignored the hacklers, and Playhouse Square and Palace Theatre were a resounding success.
The theatre was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Rapp and Rapp in the French Renaissance Style. The theatre was built with 154 chandlers, most of which have survived and sat 3,100 people. The interior was decorated with over a hundred paintings and various artworks from several famous artists. The main lobby dubbed the Main Hall, served as a gallery of sorts holding an impressive collection of thirty paintings. It held works from European masters such as Corot and Poussin.
A popular picture spot for visitors is the Blue Urn, which still stands near the main entrance today. It was created in Sevres, Italy, pre-World War I, and was picked by Albee personally at a local antique shop. It weighs a total of 325 pounds and is made of porcelain and Numidian marble. The theatre was built within the Keith Building and housed the largest electrical sign in the world on its roof. The modern Playhouse Square sign that overlooks U.S. Bank Plaza is a nod to the original sign.
The theatre had many amenities, which drew in many famous vaudeville performers who were eager to perform in such a state-of-the-art vicinity such as Grace Hayes and The Casinos. The backstage alone housed an indoor golf course, barber shop, manicure table, billiard room, and even a children's playroom. They also had a bronze switchboard with a marble border that was the only one in the world at the time. The theatre's paneling was painted in a deep mulberry shade that would later be affectionately coined "Albee Red" due to Albee's fondness for the color.
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