Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 1917, Thomas G. Moses recorded that Sosman & Landis delivered “a number of new drops for the Palace, Milwaukee.” Sosman & Landis had previously delivered scenery to Palace Theatres in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Detroit, Michigan. As with other chains, such as Fox theaters, there were multiple Palace Theatres all over the country.
The entry in Moses’ memoirs for this Milwaukee project was early in 1917.
The theater was located on 535 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. On February 19, 1917, the “Post-Crescent” reported, “Cigarette Fire. Stub starts blaze that partly destroys the Palace Theatre at Milwaukee today.” The International New Service announced, “Fire said to have originated from a cigarette stub left in the audience caused $10,000 damage to the new Palace theatre here early this morning. The house ran popular vaudeville and will be closed for several days pending renovation” (page 1).
It remains unclear whether any of the stage or scenery were damaged during the fire.
The venue was designed by local architects Charles Kirchoff and Thomas Rose. The pair later designed the Palace Theatre in New York (1918), as well as many other venues that included the American Theatre, Colonial Theatre, Garden theatre, Majestic Theatre, New Star theatre, Rialto Theatre, and Riverside Theatre. The only A detailed description of interior is posted at http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/4067, noting three eras for the venue.
To be continued…
