 | This article contains wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information.(April 2025) |
Palace Theater | |
 The theater's neon sign | |
| Location | 38 Haili St., Hilo, Hawaii |
|---|---|
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Davis & Fishbourne |
| NRHP reference No. | 93000376 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 11, 1993 |
The Palace Theater is a movie theater in downtown Hilo, Hawai'i, in the United States. Architects Davis & Fishbourne designed the building in the Beaux-Arts style, and it was constructed in 1925. The two-story building has five bays on its front facade, with a metal marquee dividing the two stories. The three central bays feature broken pediments and decorative urns above the second-floor windows. A parapet with a balustrade runs along the top of the building. [2] After the original theater closed, the Palace reopened in 1998 as an arthouse.
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The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1993. [1]
The Palace Theater features a restored lobby with a cafe. The theater itself features steeply banked amphitheater seating in three tiers, and a decorative proscenium frames the stage.
A large Robert Morton pipe organ is in the auditorium. Much of the organ is original to the Palace in 1925. The organ was moved in 1940 to the Hilo Theatre, which was destroyed by the 1960 tsunami. The surviving pipework was then purchased by Roger Angell and installed in his family home in Honolulu. He eventually donated the organ back to the Palace, and it has been expanded with portions of the pipe organ from the demolished Waikiki Theatre in Honolulu. [3]
The Palace has regular concerts. Every spring, a variety show fundraiser features local talent. Each fall, a theatrical musical production is staged for performances over the course of a month. Independent films are played throughout the year. Special events are also staged. [ citation needed ]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Palace Theater produced the Live From the Empty Palace web series, which featured local Hawaiian artists performing on the Palace Theater stage for an empty audience. The series produced a Nā Hōkū Hanohano finalist compilation album [4] [4] and a 12-episode broadcast television series shown on PBS. The series included performances by notable Hawaiian artists, including Kolea, El Sancho, Larry Dupio, Kainani Kahaunaele, Lopaka Rootz, and Ka'ahele.
