Historic Palace Theatre Marquee Begins to Come Down

Quality Masonry Company works to remove sections of the marquee blade. Photo by Marion Palace Theatre.

Workers began the process of removing the historic marquee from the front of the Marion Palace Theatre. The process, expected to take about six weeks, was planned after an engineering inspection found serious issues with the structure of the front of the building.

Palace Theatre Executive Director Bev Ford explained that, being 85 years old, the building’s brick façade was showing deterioration due to years of extreme exposure to weather conditions. Because this wall serves as the support for the two marquees, they needed to be removed as a precaution.

Once the facade is down, Ford said they will be able to get a clearer picture of the amount of damage present and the anticipated cost of renovations. Once that is determined, the Palace board will decide on the next steps, including a possible fund-raising campaign.

NCR Engineering completed the inspection in June which showed that the front façade, historic terra cotta, and both vertical and horizontal marquees need attention. Since that time, temporary, protective barriers were constructed to protect Palace patrons.

The Palace was designed by renowned theatre architect John Eberson and commissioned for construction by V.U. Young.  The doors opened on August 30, 1928 to rave reviews of the atmospheric, Moorish design.  Originally a Vaudeville house, the Great Depression soon turned the primary function to film; first silent films and then talkies.  After changing hands several times, then owner, Bill Hatch, was looking to sell in the seventies.

A group of seven Marion businessmen, later known as the Palace Guard, funded the initial purchase and began a campaign to save the Palace.  The results were a new and revitalized Marion Palace Theatre.  By July 1976 the doors reopened and the Palace has been home to the performing arts in this central Ohio region ever since.

As in the 70s restoration, the current Board is hoping the community will support this exterior renovation.

“This historic building once again needs the community’s help,” Board Chair Scott Hoffman stated in a June media release.  “It is the centerpiece of the renewed Downtown Marion, an economic growth engine, and an icon in the historical theatre world.  Renovating and securing the exterior of the Palace will be part of our heritage.”

To get more information on the Palace, or to learn how to make a contribution, you can call the Theatre at 740-383-2101.