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Monday, February 25, 2013

Louisville's Theater District, Ya'll

Since we were not far from downtown Louisville yesterday I swung in to eye a bit of the city's architecture.  One way streets, no place to park, and a sporting event just letting out drove me back out in no time.  Before I left I parked illegally and snapped a few photos on the block that houses the Palace Theatre.  A nice gentleman gave me a  free sample of a dark chocolate bourbon truffle so it was worth the trip!  I was also delighted to find these murals on the old Ohio Theatre facade to contribute to Mural Monday.



The Palace Theatre, first known as Loew’s State Theater, was considered one of Louisville’s most elaborate movie palaces.  It was built in 1928 for a reported $1.2 million and was originally designed to show silent films.  The theater was once equipped with a one-thousand pipe Wurlitzer organ that would lift over the stage and provide sound effects.

Although the building has had several renovations in its 81 years, today the theater has been restored to its original design and is used mainly for concerts and other performing arts events.  I couldn't get inside, but this is what I saw from the sidewalk.  If you're dying to see what the inside looks like, the photos at Bluegrass Baobob's blog are fantastic.

 

Right next door is the Theatre Building and my eyes gobbled up their doorway.  Their door was locked, too.   Apparently this gorgeous entrance is the only part of the building done in the art deco style.  If the interior was art deco I might have considered learning the art of lock picking.  I don't know as many architectural terms as I would like to, but I sure recognize art deco when I see it.



Unintentional Selfie! Happy Monday, Ya'll!

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8 comments:

  1. John @ Beans and I on the LooseFebruary 25, 2013 at 9:55 AM

    Pretty cool. I would have enjoyed seeing those buildings but generally avoid going into the big cities. Here's an idea: you go into the big cities and document what you see and I'll enjoy them from afar. Deal?

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  2. Pam February 25, 2013 at 11:32 AM

    My experience wasn't so great going into the city...how do people live like that?? I'm thinking I need to find some smaller cities with great architecture. We really enjoyed Winona, Minnesota; there must be more great historical architecture out there in towns that aren't mega-sized.

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  3. AndyFebruary 25, 2013 at 2:05 PM

    As a young guy growing up I spent a lot of time at the movies. This one is classic. I really like the mural. It's so original.

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  4. RedPatFebruary 25, 2013 at 6:20 PM

    These are fabulous old theatres! Glad that you showed them.

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  5. ErinFebruary 25, 2013 at 10:04 PM

    I especially like the second mural ... looks like you could just walk into the theater from there.

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  6. Oakland Daily PhotoFebruary 25, 2013 at 10:14 PM

    The perfect way to commemorate the building's history. If you like Deco movie palaces, you'd love the Paramount Theater in Oakland. Thanks for contributing to this week's Monday Mural. p.s. Did you visit the Louisville Slugger Museum? Lots of fun.

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  7. EbieFebruary 26, 2013 at 8:50 AM

    I could picture myself walking in downtown Los Angeles in the old theatre district with its used-to-be rich architecture.

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  8. s.cFebruary 27, 2013 at 3:47 AM

    Great theater and I like especially the shilouet of the guy changing the letters. Thanks for showing.

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