Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 03/07/2026 01:32:00

The architect used the Palace of Versailles as his blueprint, and the furnishings cost as much as the building - about 1.5 million dollars each in 1926. The Palace Theatre at 34 West Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, opened on 8 November 1926 at the base of what is now the LeVeque Tower, and remains the city's hardest-working historic stage. The commission came from the Keith-Albee vaudeville chain, with Edward Albee personally supervising construction of Thomas W. Lamb's design: marble floors, mirrored walls, crystal chandeliers, a grand staircase and acoustics engineered so unamplified performers could reach every one of the seats - backstage even included a laundry, kitchen, billiards room and nursery for the revolving door of touring acts. The name changed with the industry: Keith-Albee became RKO in 1929 and the Palace ran as the RKO Palace through decades as Columbus's busiest live venue and movie house, closing as a cinema in 1975. The rescue was a family affair: owner Katherine LeVeque invested millions restoring the theatre as a home for Opera Columbus and touring Broadway, then gifted it in 1989 to CAPA - the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, steward of the Ohio Theatre since 1969. The modern renovation kept it competitive: a 6.5-million-dollar project completed in November 2018 repaired the plaster, repainted the auditorium, replaced the main-floor seats and installed LED house lighting, trimming capacity to 2,691 while adding accessible seating; Jim Gaffigan played the reopening night. Practical notes: the theatre sits between High and Front Streets adjacent to the LeVeque Tower, hosting Broadway in Columbus, the Columbus Symphony, comedians and touring artists; CAPA's shared calendar with the Ohio and Southern theatres means something is on nearly every week of the season.