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Rochester’s RKO Palace Theater and the $10,000,000 Twin Towers

January 4th, 2013

Rochester's RKO Palace Theater, September 1965. A sign is hung on the marquee proclaiming this the site of new $10 Million dollar twin towers. The theater was demolished and no towers were ever built on the site. [PHOTO: Courtesy of Rochester Theater Organ Society]
Russ Shaner, president of the Rochester Theater Organ Society has dug up another incredible photo of Rochester’s RKO Palace Theater…

This color photo shows the theater’s front entrance in September 1965. A sign has just been hung on the theater’s marquee proclaiming this the new site of a $10,000,000 “Twin Towers” project. As The Rochesterian external link had earlier quoted from an old RTOS brochure:

On its site will be erected a modern motel-office-theatre complex with twin eighteen story towers. The new 1200-seat theatre will be in the luxury class with the latest projection and sound equipment plus roomy seats that offer patrons “living room comfort.”

Of course the Palace Theater was demolished, but no $10 Million project ever materialized. Promises, promises.

[ See more RKO Palace photos here ]

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 4th, 2013 at 8:02 am and is filed under Rochester History, Rochester Images, Urban Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

5 Responses to “Rochester’s RKO Palace Theater and the $10,000,000 Twin Towers”

  1. Patrick Chefalo says:

    Same publicist worked on Midtown demolition project apparently.

  2. Dave DiPonzio says:

    In typical Rochester fashion huh?

  3. Russ Shaner says:

    Mike, Thank you for posting it. Here ae a few observations gleaned from studying the photo closely. The 3 story building between the theatre entrance and the Michaels Stern building still exists. It has had four stories added to it and a totally new ’60s’ facade. Today it sits empty. The masonic building abutted the entrance lobby on the south side. Where the brick on the south side changes indicates the setback from the sidewalk of the Masonic building. It was demolished circa 1932. The step ladder sitting beneath the marquee is interesting. Not tall enought to reach the marquee easily. Why was it there? One can see two easels in the left window of the adjoining building. Were they displaying drawings of the proposed project?
    Many theatres of that period were built in a similar fashion: a rather non-imposing entrance to a long narrow ‘outer lobby’ where patrons would be lined up before entering the grand lobby and the theatre proper. This served two purposes. First, less of the valuable street frontage was needed and very importantly, it greatly enhanced the theatre ‘experience’. Patrons would enter througha a rather modest entrance. Their excitement would build as they proceeded to the ‘grand lobby’ then they would nearly swoon as they entered the spectacular theatre itself. All carefully planned by the designers to thrill movie-goers when they visited the “acre of seats in a palace of beauty”.
    Yes, like the Ren Square project, Midtown redevelopment, etc, anothe spectacular plan to “REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER”!! Bull!

  4. Skip says:

    As an usher here in the mid fifties I sometimes had to change the marquee letters. The ladder was much taller than the one pictured. One leg would reach over the curb and balance on a rock on Clinton Avenue. It got interesting when the buses came rolling by!

  5. Skip says:

    I meant to say block, not rock.


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