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1. David Shein says:

   October 10, 2012 at 8:16 am

   Dude, I love what you do here so much. Rochester is such a great town, but what it needs most is a stronger sense of community and of its own identity and history. You are contributing to all of those in a very meaningful way. Thanks.

2. Dave DiPonzio says:

   October 10, 2012 at 8:20 am

   Such a sad thing =(

   Check this site out. Another one of my fav. http://afterthefinalcurtain.net/

3. Scott says:

   October 10, 2012 at 9:05 am

   It is sad that we live in a society that would rather tear something down to build something new, yet cheap and looks like everything else, or worse yet put in another parking lot, than to preserve something that is truly unique and more or less unable to be duplicated now. I think it would be fitting to put together a list of some of the notable persons who preformed at this old theater. Is there a list of acts known?

4. Karen Colizzi Noonan says:

   October 10, 2012 at 10:06 am

   Thank you for posting these sad, but historically important, photos. We shared a link to your page on our Theatre Historical Society blog, Readerboard.

5. Beth Rhodes says:

   October 10, 2012 at 12:21 pm

   Do we know if more got salvaged from the building other than the organ?

6. Russ Shaner says:

   October 12, 2012 at 10:06 am

   Mike, Thank you for the fantastic job you did in scanning the photos and posting them here. We are all indebted to Dan Schultz and Richard Neidich who took the bulk of the photos and to Lauren Peckham who passed them from Dan to me several years ago. I invite those who are interested in the organ to visit our site for more information about the Rochester Theater Organ Society (RTOS). Our next public concert will be on Sunday, October 21st at 2:30 pm. On our site, ‘click’ “The Blower” (our newsletter)tab to find a discount coupon for admission tickets.

7. Russ Shaner says:

   October 12, 2012 at 10:21 am

   To partially answer Beth Rhodes question, I believe there was an auction of interior fixtures and furnishings prior to demolition. I do know that some furnishings were in a mansion in the Finger Lakes area that burned to the ground while undergoing restoration back in 1974 (google Isle of Pines, Wayne, NY). Part of the golden grills that fronted the organ chambers and some drapes were used in a home organ installation near Himrod, NY in the 1970s but it is long gone and I do not know the fate of the grills. I have no knowledge of the fate of the light fixtures, artwork, etc.

8. Rick says:

   October 12, 2012 at 1:28 pm

   Hi Russ and great job with these photos! Absolutely HEARTBREAKING going through them! I could go on about how it would’ve been nice if only… but it’d be just echoing everyone else’ sentiments over again. At least we still have the Auditorium, albeit not nearly as ornate as everything else they’ve destroyed over the years. Hopefully it’ll be around for a long time to come if anyone learns from the past. Hopefully too, people will be intrigued enough to come out and check out the organ and support one of our last few historic resources remaining.

9. Dave DiPonzio says:

   October 13, 2012 at 2:08 pm

   Does anyone know why they tore it down? Financial issues? Low attendance? It’s a shame. Only thing I remember historically about Rochester is Midtown Plaza (I’m only 21)

10. Brian Kelly says:

    November 3, 2012 at 11:58 am

    I loved the Palace! So many, if not most, American cities have saved and restored at least one of their movie palaces (lowly Oakland has two!), but not Rochester. Such a shame.

    In the mid-40’s the touring Big Bands played Loew’s Rochester. I don’t think the Palace had any live shows at the time.

    I saw “It’s A Wonderful Life” one wintry opening-day matinee at the Palace. Full house. I loved it so much that I returned twice during the same week, each time dragging a host of aunts and uncles with me. Also remember seeing “Heaven Can Wait” (Don Ameche) at the Palace.

    The ambience was terrific. In one of those interior demolition photos you can see the beautiful slopes of the balcony and main floor.

11. Danny Schultz says:

    September 16, 2014 at 12:29 am

    Thanks for publishing these pictures for others to enjoy.
    As I took most of these two groups I will make some corrections and additions on the titles; image #12 is the mens lounge on the first
    floor outer lobby, north side. I also took photos of the ladies lobby which was quite feminine with light colored walls.
    image # 18 shows Frank Landkamp, Palace manager.
    image # 20 Shown is the collapsed truss which trapped one of the demolition crew until he was rescued with minor injury. #24 person in photo is Dan Suter. who was instrumental in the negotiations to place the Palace organ in the Masonic Auditorium Theater

12. brad allen says:

    January 27, 2015 at 12:33 am

    The pictures are great, but I was told that the palace Wurlitzer organ is now located at the church of the assent ion on lake avenue. I saw the blower room with 2 blowers and a number of bellows. My question is is the organ at the church or auditorium theatre?

13. Danny Schultz says:

    January 27, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    Reply to Brad Allen,
    The organ was removed from the place theatre, stored for a year or so and while stored, the organ in the Auditorium Theater was removed and installed in the church on Lake avenue by the
    Hickey (?) brothers organ company of Webster. Then we built organ chambers to accommodate the Palace organ in the lofts which the Auditorium organ ( Skinner) had rested and then removed the Palace organ from storage, ( complements of B&L), reinstalled in
    the Auditorium and the rest is history. Interested folks might check out the RTOS website for more info on current concerts, history.

14. lorie smith says:

    March 22, 2015 at 1:31 pm

    Sad pictures. Tell you what, guys, I’m almost 70 now, and as a teenager used to go to the RKO Palace all the time. The pictures just do not convey how beautiful the place really was. It was all gold, and red velvet, and little corridors everywhere; chandeliers, etc. The ladies’ room was so luxurious. So gorgeous. The powers that be in Rochester have always seemed stupid and short-sighted to me. Even Midtown Plaza is gone. I know times change, but I miss DOWNTOWN. There will never be anything like it ever again. Rats.

15. Carol says:

    December 27, 2017 at 6:33 pm

    It is not true Rochester has not saved one of her old movie palaces, we have the EASTMAN Theater, which was originally a movie palace, and was repurposed / re-oriented long ago when RKO and Loews came to town and built larger theaters… plus George Eastman loved music and to honor his memory and legacy, it is great that we devoted the Eastman Theater mainly to musical performances. And she is still kept as our great gem.

16. Betty Ann Brunton says:

    July 2, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    As a child, it was a treat to take the bus downtown to see a movie at the Palace. I recall many family movie days watching childhood favorites. The theater was majestic and I was always in awe of how ornate it was and I it felt like I was in a castle when there. When I learned they were going to tear it down, all I could think of was the loss of such a magical part of Rochester History. So glad these historical photos have been located and preserved. Thank you.

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