Palace Theatre
| Address: | 501 Selkirk Avenue |
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| Constructed: | 1912 |
| Architects: |
Photographs
More Information
The theatre was designed by Max Zev Blankstein for Jacob Miles of Allied Amusements at a cost of $20,000. The Palace Theatre was the first theatre to be opened by Jacob Miles, who, though Allied Amusements, Miles Enterprises and Western Theatres, would become a Manitoba theatre magnate. The theatre was originally used for Vaudeville performances before being converted into a movie theatre only a few years after opening. As a result, it featured a larger stage, ideal for live performances but irregular for cinema.
The Palace closed as a theatre in 1964, and its interior gutted to make room for auction houses. Used furniture outlets and bargain stores also occupied the building.
The building is now owned by the University of Manitoba and was recently saved by the community from demolition.
Design Characteristics
| Materials: | brick |
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| Style: | Mission Revival |
| Developer: |
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- The Palace Theatre is characterized by its ornate brickwork, using different tones and textures to create patters across its facade
- Simple diamonds, circles, and other forms are made using lighter toned brick. Perhaps most interesting is an arch at the centre of the facade, reminiscent of a cathedral window
- A full length marquee is used, coming together in a curved pediment, at the centre of which is a cast-metal torch
- The theatre uses a Mission-Revival style parapet, something found in many of Blankstein’s designs
- A balcony, 50 by 105 feet large, was added by day labourers in 1927, increasing the capacity of the theatre by 192 to 800 people
- The 1927-1928 renovation also removed much of the ornamentation and decorative lighting, replacing it with a more modest Alsip tapestry face brick