Palace Theatre

Designed in the spirit of France’s Palais de Versailles, the 2,695-seat Palace Theatre is located at the base of the LeVeque-Lincoln Tower. Adorned with chandeliers, a grand staircase, mural, hall of autographed pictures, and a fountain, the Palace is a delightful destination for an evening with the arts. Originally a vaudeville house, special attention was paid to the theatre’s acoustics when it was built. Consequently, there’s not a bad seat in the house!

Construction was personally supervised by vaudeville mogul Edward Albee, and on November 8, 1926, the Palace opened its doors to the public as part of the Keith-Albee chain of movie/vaudeville theatres. In 1929, the Palace became the RKO (Radio Keith Orpheum), which it remained until the 1970s.

Since traveling shows typically played for multiple days and sometimes weeks, the backstage area of the Palace Theatre was designed with the performers’ travel needs in mind. The dressing room tower was organized like a small hotel, complete with a "front desk," where performers could pick up their room keys and mail. There were also kitchen facilities and a designated children's playroom. The dressing rooms were named after cities on the vaudeville touring routes and still bear those names today.

Animals touring with the shows were also taken into consideration. A porcelain animal bath was installed below the stage, as well as a ramp that led to the stage since many animals will go upstairs, but not down.

During the '30s, '40s, and '50s, the Palace was the most active venue in Columbus for live performances. Still popular today, the theatre rarely has a dark night. Among the many events hosted by the Palace each year are performances from CAPA-presented and touring musical artists, comedians, and dance companies, Broadway in Columbus, and local arts organizations.

Dates

Made: 1926