Rescued
Despite its beauty and popularity, the Palace closed in 1978, and unsurprisingly began to crumble. Some of the windows were smashed, the marquee began to rust. Thankfully, it didn't take long for residents to realize that this gem would be lost forever should no one do anything, and in 1983, Cumberland Heritage began making noise about restoring and saving the Palace.
Still, little was done until 1989, when the Palace was listed in David Naylor's "Great American Movie Theatres". Beginning in the 90s, Downtown Crossville, Inc., a group of citizens, began the drive to save what was left of the Palace. The city purchased the property in '93 thanks to DCI's push, and in '94, the National Historic Register added the Palace to its list.
By 1996, the people of Crossville had approved the funding of a bond to restore the Palace so it could be used as a community auditorium. TNDOT also donated over $230,000 to the cause. More importantly (if you ask me), many private corporations donated money, while students and other locals donated their time and bodies for work in the theatre itself.
The Palace had her grand reopening in February of 2001, and the restoration has led to a revival of the entire downtown area where the Palace sits. Today, she hosts debates, fundraisers, music, pageants, various entertainments, and, of course, classic film.
It made me smile to see that the Palace is referred to as a "jewel" and "gem", because that is exactly what I said about it without realizing that's how locals see it. Though not large in stature, she's definitely large in style and class, isn't she?
Rescued
Despite its beauty and popularity, the Palace closed in 1978, and unsurprisingly began to crumble. Some of the windows were smashed, the marquee began to rust. Thankfully, it didn't take long for residents to realize that this gem would be lost forever should no one do anything, and in 1983, Cumberland Heritage began making noise about restoring and saving the Palace.
Still, little was done until 1989, when the Palace was listed in David Naylor's "Great American Movie Theatres". Beginning in the 90s, Downtown Crossville, Inc., a group of citizens, began the drive to save what was left of the Palace. The city purchased the property in '93 thanks to DCI's push, and in '94, the National Historic Register added the Palace to its list.
By 1996, the people of Crossville had approved the funding of a bond to restore the Palace so it could be used as a community auditorium. TNDOT also donated over $230,000 to the cause. More importantly (if you ask me), many private corporations donated money, while students and other locals donated their time and bodies for work in the theatre itself.
The Palace had her grand reopening in February of 2001, and the restoration has led to a revival of the entire downtown area where the Palace sits. Today, she hosts debates, fundraisers, music, pageants, various entertainments, and, of course, classic film.
It made me smile to see that the Palace is referred to as a "jewel" and "gem", because that is exactly what I said about it without realizing that's how locals see it. Though not large in stature, she's definitely large in style and class, isn't she?