The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), formerly Loew's State Theatre and Palace Concert Theater, is a multi-use not-for-profit
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
located at 220 Weybosset Street in
downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
. It was built in 1928 as a
movie palace
A movie palace (or picture palace in the United Kingdom) is any of the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opening every year between 192 ...
by the
Loews Theatres Loews may refer to:
* Loews Cineplex Entertainment, formerly Loews Incorporated, a defunct North American cinema chain which formerly owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
**''United States v. Loew's Inc.'', a United States Supreme Court case involving Loews
...
chain to designs by
Rapp & Rapp
C. W. & George L. Rapp, commonly known as Rapp & Rapp, was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Active from 1906 to 1965 and based in Chicago, the office designed over 400 theatres, inclu ...
, the leading designers of music palaces at the time. PPAC contains 3,100 seats and hosts touring Broadway shows, concerts, plays and films.
The theater was added to 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 1977 under the name "Loew's State Theatre".
History
The theater was built in 1928 as The Loew's State and was designed by
Rapp and Rapp
C. W. & George L. Rapp, commonly known as Rapp & Rapp, was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Active from 1906 to 1965 and based in Chicago, the office designed over 400 theatres, inclu ...
. George and C. W. Rapp were architects who made their name by designing movie palaces across the United States.
The first film to be shown at the new theater was ''
Excess Baggage'', starring
William Haines
Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer.
Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...
.
Over 14,000 people jammed the building during its opening; they did not come to watch the film, but to see the theater's opulent chandeliers, marble columns, and detailed moldings on the walls.
The theater was the site of a number of notable movie premieres, including the first 3-D feature film, ''
Bwana Devil
''Bwana Devil'' is a 1952 American adventure film, adventure B movie written, directed, and produced by Arch Oboler, and starring Robert Stack, Barbara Britton, and Nigel Bruce. ''Bwana Devil'' is based on the true story of the Tsavo maneaters an ...
''.
Between 1950 and 1972 the theater operated under the name Loew's Theatre and showed live concerts, rather than movies.
Between 1972 and 1975 the building was known as the Palace Concert Theater, and was used primarily for rock concerts.
In 1973-1974 alone, the Palace Concert Theater hosted the
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
,
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
,
The Doors
The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...
,
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
,
Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
,
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.
As a teenager in t ...
,
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
,
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
and
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
.
The band
King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
recorded the song "Providence" during a 1974 concert at the venue; the song was featured on their seventh album ''
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
'', released later that year.
The theater was refurbished in 1975, but was almost torn down in 1977. According to mayor
Buddy Cianci
Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. (, ; , ; April 30, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American politician, attorney, radio talk show host, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1975 ...
's account, the theater's owner asked for a permit to demolish the building. Cianci pledged over $1 million of city funds to keep the it open. The state of Rhode Island joined in the effort to rescue the theater, as did local businesses and foundations. The venue re-opened in October 1978
From 1978 under the name Ocean State Theatre, a name it held until 1982.
Beginning in 1999, the theater was extensively remodeled and largely restored to its original 1928 opulence. It was also expanded to be able to accommodate touring Broadway productions and orchestra performances.
In 1996, PPAC became the anchor of Cianci's Arts and Entertainment District, which offered tax breaks to attract artists to downtown.
Gallery
File:PPAC side.jpg, Old Loew's name
File:Providence Theater (32053152083) crop.jpg, The marquee at night in 2017
File:Providence Performing Arts Center interior stage.jpg, The theater's interior
See also
*
References
External links
https://www.ppacri.org/
{{Authority control
Theatres in Rhode Island
Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island
Performing arts centers in Rhode Island
Tourist attractions in Providence, Rhode Island
Loew's Theatres buildings and structures
Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island
Public venues with a theatre organ