Entrepreneurs Charles P. Abbott and his brother-in-law, John Long, built the Palace Theater, a large entertainment facility located on the corner of Main and New Streets, a short walk to the center of Glassboro's downtown and the Franklin House (Later named Franklin Inn). At the time, Main Street was lined with beautiful, decorative homes and businesses, especially near High Street. Main street received significant-walking traffic between Franklin House, a popular tavern on West Avenue, and the downtown area of High Street. 

After building the Auditorium on Academy Street across from the Academy Street School in 1910, Abbott and Long likely saw an opportunity to build a theatre in town. The Auditorium was a large multi-use structure used for trade shows, events, and meeting spaces. The building was also used by Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt for political speeches. The second floor of the Auditorium was used for theatre shows, including minstrel plays and musicals. These events at the Auditorium were popular, and Abbott and Long likely wanted to expand their entertainment business through building a stand-alone theatre in town. 

Abbott and Long chose the corner of Main and New Streets, for their new business venture. In the past, this location proved successful for Lloyd's Bakery, the first business to offer ice cream to the Glassboro community. Learn more about Lloyd's Bakery

The Palace Theater opened in May 1917 and it was the first theater built in Glassboro. The Theater was used for plays, events, and silent motion pictures. A quick glance at local newspapers of the time provides a listing of all the events hosted at the Palace Theater.

News articles also describe the dimensions of the Theater as approximately 100 feet by 140 feet, and the front of the building, with its arched entrance, faced west toward Main Street. The outside of the building was stucco, and the interior was beautifully adorned and included six exits. Local historian Edward Walton said the floor was elevated to allow for easier viewing. This design feature also likely helped with sound. The capacity of the building was about 600 people. (For comparison, Pfleger Hall at Rowan University has a capacity of about 700 people)

The Theater made a strong effort to connect with the Glassboro community. For example, at the start of World War One, the Theater was used for many programs to support the war effort. These events included benefits for the American Red Cross and Liberty Bond drives. After the war, the Women's Auxiliary of the Shaw-Paulin Post American Legion continued their efforts to support the families of Glassboro's fallen and injured WWI heroes. The Shaw-Paulin Post was named after  Thomas H. Shaw and Joseph L. Paulin, who died during WWI. 

In October 1919, Abbott sold the Palace Theatre to T. M. Alderman of Philadelphia. Alderman then sold the building to J. J. Bagley and R. J. Hill of Philadelphia. The Palace was then sold that same year to Steifel Amusement Company of Philadelphia, who introduced many vaudeville acts to the area. Steifel Amusement operated the Theatre until 1927 when The Delsea movie theater opened on High Street. 

The Delsea was the first movie theater in the area that showed "talking" movies - movies with sound. The Theater also occasionally showed color movies later, though black and white remained the standard for several years. As a consequence of the new Theater and its new technology, the Palace Theater was forced to close due to the competition. A few years later in 1927 the structure was demolished.

In 1949 Harry Levy purchased the land to build a home. In 1965, Levy sold the house to the First United Methodist Church, which used it as a parsonage for many years. This building was demolished in 2016. 

The following are clips from various articles mentioning the Palace Theatre:

The Evening Journal Newspaper (Vineland), 27 Jan 1911 posted an advertisement for the Palace Theatre promoting Martin's Trained Lions an event to see the "marvelous tricks done by the performing lions" The 

Morning Post 13 Dec 1920: "At the Palace Theatre the feature attraction to-night will be Kitty Gordon in Forget-Me-Not" and tomorrow night Frank Mayo in Hitchin Posts" a drama of the Mississippi river." 

Courier-Post , 30 November 1921. "Buried Treasure is the title of the feature picture that will be shown at the Palace Theatre on Friday night, when the Women's Auxiliary of the Shaw-Paulin Post American Legion will be giving a benefit. 

Courier-Post 17 March 1924. "Glassboro" A new pipe organ is to be installed in the Palace Theatre to cost $7,000

For more information:
The Glassboro Theatre
Campbell and Patterson (Lloyd's Bakery)
The Auditorium 
First United Methodist Church


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