Loew's State Palace Theatre - New Orleans, Louisiana
Posted by: 
Big B Bob
N 29° 57.342 W 090° 04.398
15R E 782460 N 3317480
Quick Description: A once great theater is sadly waiting for a buyer or a wrecking ball.
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 11/13/2009 8:50:55 AM
Waymark Code: WM7ND0
Views: 0
Long Description:From Cinema Treasures:
Built in 1926 for the Loew's circuit, the State Theatre was
designed by the prodigious theater architect, Thomas W. Lamb.
Around the same time that Loew's opened the State, the Saenger
circuit opened their theater directly across Canal Street.
Originally seating 3,335, and designed in a mix of Renaissance
motifs, the State also contained a 3/13 Robert Morton organ similar
to that installed at the same time in the Saenger. Unfortunately,
unlike the Saenger's the State's did not survive, being heavily
damaged during a flood and left to fall into disrepair in the
ensuing decades.
In the 1970's, the State Theatre was twinned, with its balcony
being transformed into a second auditorium.
After closing as a movie house in the late 1980's, the partition
was removed, and the State was restored and renamed, as the State
Palace Theatre, screening classic movies and offering concerts.
Recently, the State Palace Theatre was primarily used a a
concert venue, featuring mostly techno and electronica bands, with
the occasional rave. Big-name rock and punk bands often made
appearances, and the State Palace also hosted local talent nights
as well.
Though it is somewhat rough along the edges, the State Palace
still has a definite faded elegance that adds to its atmosphere, as
well as excellent acoustics, making it one of New Orleans' enduring
entertainment destinations.
Sadly, the State Palace Theatre has been closed since February
2007.