The Palace and the Majestic are a pair of historic performance and film venues at 1315-1357 Main Street in downtown

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

. Built in 1921-22 by Sylvester Z. Poli in a single building that also housed a hotel, they were in their heyday a posh and opulent sight, designed by noted theater architect

Thomas W. Lamb Thomas White Lamb (May 5th, 1870 – February 26th, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century. Career Born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, Thomas W. La ...

. The building has stood vacant and decaying since the 1970s, despite repeated attempts to restore its grandeur. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1979.

Description

The Palace/Majestic building is located at the northern end of Bridgeport's downtown area, its main facade occupying an entire block of Main Street between Congress and Arch Streets. It is a five-story building, built out of steel and reinforced concrete, with an elegant Beaux Arts exterior. The exterior is a combination of brick and concrete finished to resemble granite on the main facade, and mainly brick on the other sides. The interior is organized with the hotel in the front portion of the building, and the theaters side by side in the rear. The Palace Theater, on the left, has an original seating capacity of 3700, while the Majestic seated 2600.

History

The complex was the inspiration of theater mogul Sylvester Z. Poli, who built a chain of vaudeville theaters across the northeastern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Poli hired the well-known theater architect

, then at his creative peak, to design the structure. The theater bears some resemblance to another Poli/Lamb collaboration, the Palace Theater in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

, also completed in 1922. The hotel built on top of the theaters was originally intended to cater to the traveling shows that played there and others associated with the performers. The theaters originally showed live vaudeville performance, but eventually transitioned to showing movies. The Palace was purchased by

Loew's Loews Cineplex Entertainment, also known as Loews Incorporated, is an American theater chain operating in North America. From 1924 until 1959, it was also the parent company of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM). The company was originally cal ...

in 1934, and was known for a time as "Loew's Poli Theater". With When Bridgeport's factories began to close in the 1960s and 1970s, the fortunes of the complex declined, and both theaters closed in the late 1970s. The entire building has stood vacant since then; there have been recurring efforts to restore it to its former glory.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut Buildings and structures completed in 1922 Movie palaces Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Theatres completed in 1922 Beaux-Arts architecture in Connecticut Theatres in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Bridgeport, Connecticut 1922 establishments in Connecticut Thomas W. Lamb buildings

Description

History

See also

References