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Kentucky Movie Theatres

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Ashland:
Paramount Theatre (Paramount Arts Center): 1, 2 [map]

Barbourville:
Magic Theatre

Marianne Theatre
Bellevue, KY
The Marianne Theatre was built in 1941 and has been closed since 2000. It was named for the original owner's daughter. Shortly after this photo was taken in 2006, the marquee was restored. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Bonnieville:
Bonn Theatre

Capitol Theatre
Bowling Green, KY
The Capitol Theatre was built in the late 1890s as a vaudeville house and originally named the Columbia Theatre. It was renamed and converted into a movie theatre in the mid-1930s. The theatre closed in 1967. After sitting for ten years, an extensive renovation was completed and it reopened as the Capitol Arts Center in 1981. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Madison Theatre
Covington, KY
Kentucky Theatre
Covington, KY
The Madison Theatre opened in 1912 as the Lyric Theatre. It was restyled/renovated/renamed in 1928 and again in 1946. It closed in 1977 and, after an extensive renovation, reopened in 2001. For more, see this website. [map]

The Kentucky Theatre opened in 1939. The building is now used as office space. For more, see this website. [map]

More Covington:
Family Theatre

Cynthiana:
Roh's Theatre

State Theatre
Elizabethtown, KY
Grand Theatre
Frankfort, KY
The State Theatre opened in 1942 and closed in 1982. In 2009, it was restored and is now used for live entertainment. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

The Grand Theatre was built in 1911 as a vaudeville house. The theatre was remodeled in 1940. It closed in 1966 and was used as office and retail space. Renovation work began in 2005. In 2009, the theatre reopened as Frankfort's Center for the Arts which features live performances and films. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Plaza Theatre
Glasgow, KY
The Plaza Theatre opened in 1934 and this sign was installed at that time. The atmospheric style theatre was designed by local architect Dixon Rapp. The theatre closed in the 1990s and was purchased by the city in 2001. The theatre was renovated and reopened in 2005. It now features live performances.

The sign was produced by Federal Electric. Each letter is a separate modular unit and is illuminated with bulbs. What makes this sign unique is its red letter panels. Federal Electric advertising from the early 1920s makes no mention of anything but royal blue sign panels with white letters. It recommended this color combination to customers as providing the greatest contrast and readability. By the mid-1920s, the company began producing sign panels in green and a splattered mix of blue and green ("mottled blue-green"). However, there is no evidence that Federal Electric produced sectional signs in these colors. Therefore, the red panels of the Plaza Theatre sign were either custom ordered or, more likely, an example of a rare, later option.

The Plaza Theatre sign letters are lit white with static, clear bulbs. The bulbs in the starburst pattern at the top of the sign are lit sequentially from the inside to the outside of the sign panels. Those bulbs have red and yellow covers which add color to the sign at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Alhambra Theatre
Hopkinsville, KY
The Alhambra Theatre opened in 1928 with live shows and silent movies. The interior is decorated in a Spanish-Moorish style. The auditorium has an atmospheric sky. The theatre is now used for live performances. In 2018, the readerboard sign was replaced with two digital displays. The poster display windows and black and orange vitrolite tiles were removed. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Princess Theatre
Hopkinsville, KY
Kentucky Theatre
Lexington, KY
The Princess Theatre was built in 1911. It was remodeled in the 1920s or 1930s. It later housed the Princess Theatre Lounge a nightclub. I believe the building has been vacant since at least 2016. For more, see this website. [map]

The Kentucky Theatre was built in 1922 in an Italian Renaissance style. The theatre has a shared lobby and projection booth with the adjacent State Theatre. The Kentucky was damaged in a fire in 1987 but was restored in 1989. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Palace Theatre
Louisville, KY
The Palace Theatre was designed by John Eberson and built in 1928 in an atmospheric, Moorish style. It was originally named the Loew's United Artists Theatre. It closed in 1973 and reopened briefly in the 1980s. It has been a concert hall since 1994. The theatre is now known as the Louisville Palace. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Ohio Theatre
Louisville, KY
Vogue Theatre
Louisville, KY
The Ohio Theatre opened in 1941 and closed in 1965. It was demolished in the 1970s and is now just a freestanding marquee near the Louisville Palace. A parking garage has been built on the site. For more, see this website. [map]

The Vogue Theatre opened in 1939 and closed in 1998. Around 2007, the building was adapted for retail space. These photos are from 2012. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Russell Theatre
Maysville, KY
The Russell Theatre opened in 1930. The Moorish style theatre has an atmospheric interior. The auditorium was designed to resemble a Mediterranean garden with twinkling stars and moving clouds. The theatre closed in 1983 and was used as a restaurant, used furniture store, and used clothing store. Roof damage caused an interior wall to collapse. Rosemary Clooney performed here as a child and the Clooney family is involved in fund-raising for the restoration of this theatre. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

former Empress Theatre
Owensboro, KY
Goldie's Best Little Opryhouse in Kentucky opened as the Empress Theatre in 1906 with vaudeville. The theatre began showing movies later. Goldie's Opry House opened in 1982 and featured live performances. Goldie's closed in 2008. This photo is from 2010 when the building began housing the TWO (Theatre Workshop of Owensboro) Empress Theatre. The name on the marquee has been changed. For more, see this website. [map]

Columbia Theatre
Paducah, KY
The Columbia Theatre was built in 1927 and closed in the 1980s. It remains vacant. For more, see this website. [map]

Pineville:
Bell Theatre

Capitol Theatre
Princeton, KY
The Capitol Theatre opened in 1939 and closed in 1986. It reopened in 1996 but closed again in 2008. By 2009, it had reopened again. It closed in 2020 and has been vacant since then. The building was being restored in 2023. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Lane Theatre
Williamsburg, KY
The Lane Theatre opened in 1948 and closed in 1987. It was being restored as an arts and cultural center. However, the building appears to be vacant now. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more, see this website. [map]

Leeds Theatre
Winchester, KY
The Leeds Theatre opened in 1925 and closed in 1986. After local fundraising efforts, the theatre was restored and reopened in 1990 as the Leeds Center for the Arts. For more, see this website. [map]

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