Palace Theatre Building
Why it's listed
Rising at Broadway and 6th Street in Lorain, this reinforced concrete building combines a 1,950-seat theatre with four street-level shops and second-floor offices. Its classically inspired terra cotta facade has cut stone details, a central marquee and a recessed entrance. Inside, a marble-floored foyer leads to a two-story lobby with Venetian Gothic character and an Italian Renaissance auditorium with a sunburst proscenium, a domed ceiling and a three-quarter-ton chandelier. The stage holds a Wurlitzer pipe organ. Variety Amusement Company president Silverman built it after a June 1924 tornado destroyed the Old State Theatre, spending $500,000 in eight months on a tornado-proof structure. It opened on April 19, 1928, when Lorain first heard the Vitaphone talking-movie system. Described as the largest theater of its kind in Ohio, it hosted vaudeville, legitimate theater and charity shows, and remains a local landmark with a community restoration effort.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the largest theater of its kind in Ohio and an excellent example of late 1920s architectural eclecticism. It replaced a theatre destroyed by the 1924 tornado and was built as a tornado-proof structure. It is also described as an important Lorain landmark, now the focus of a restoration effort.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 78002109, listed March 30, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Broadway and 6th St., Lorain |
|---|---|
| County | Lorain County |
| Listed | March 30, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002109 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1928 |
| Architectural style | Classically inspired facade; Italian Renaissance auditorium; Venetian Gothic lobby (late 1920s eclecticism) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked occupied and in good condition; owned by a private non-profit committee, with a broad-based effort under way to restore it. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Broadway Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.46565, -82.17458 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 78002109.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6678741
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.