I chose the following only because my niece's daughter happened to be in the play the Music Man ..a little event my son took me out to see last night.
First, a little background for you- (you can go straight to the pic's if you like)
The Palace was built and opened in 1925 at the peak of the heyday for American movie palaces. It was originally part of a small family of theatres owned and operated by Adam C. Baker, a dashing Hawaiian gentleman who was the nephew of the last royal governors of the island of Hawaii. Adam Baker had been involved in the theatre business since the early 1900s and was a well-known showman in Hawaii.
The Palace was built on a scale that had never been seen outside of the capital city of Honolulu, and it was always the grandest theatre on all the neighbor islands. One unusual feature was that the Palace’s structure was entirely of redwood, imported from the Pacific Northwest. Fourteen huge redwood columns supported the wooden roof trusses which span the entire width of the building. The roof, sides and back were sheathed in corrugated sheet metal, a very typical construction style in tropical Hawaii. The building’s facade is an elegant neo-classical design executed in stucco with wood molding accents.
The Palace was designed to take maximum advantage of its limited property size. The stadium seating arrangement (pre-dating the 'discovery' of stadium seating by modern theatre operators in the 1990s) allowed for unobstructed sight lines, while giving the Palace a very spacious lobby. Designed and built in the days before electronic sound amplification systems, the Palace boasts excellent natural acoustics for live musical groups and drama. One of the most enchanting, nostalgic, and thrilling experiences is the music of the original Robert-Morton pipe organ in concert or before a movie presentation.
Today, the grand theatre having gone over constant "make-overs" is still a fixture in the Hilo community and provides a wide range of art films, live theater productions, and concerts by both local and visiting musicians throughout the year.
Inside actually looks better than the outside as well as the entryway..
They could really use an A.C. ha-
This is my niece Sunny with her two kids- Kealani (who played Amaryllis, here and Isaiah..he was the usher. This is currently playing in Hilo's historic Palace Theater (the last weekend). (Mahalo Byron for your terrific shots)-
Lastly, This organ always intrigued me..well (my son and I were sitting in front)..though I didn't take really much of any pictures of the actors as flash was discouraged, but this is the famous pipe organ. It entertained thousands of movie-goers for more than 60yrs, then it was restored and reinstalled in Hilo's historic Palace Theater-
This shot reflects Hilo Bay in the window along Bayfront-
Aloha to all-
