Check out the current issue of the Northeast Journal for a nice article on the Palladium. Writer Josh Keeler focused on the historic preservation of our iconic 1920s building, which is recognized as an historic landmark both locally and nationally.
Josh was especially excited about our old gilt-laden elevator and the two-story pipe organ loft behind the stage.
Here’s an excerpt:
The Palladium as it stands now looks almost identical to how it looked after construction, except now it’s surrounded by lush Florida green instead of dirt. BJ Johnson, the facilities coordinator of the Palladium Theater, makes certain the building stays clean and in tiptop shape for the hundreds of guests who visit every week.
Both Johnson and Paul Wilborn, the executive director, concern themselves with preserving the integrity of the building’s past. If the condition of the brick and terra cotta outside wasn’t enough to convince me of this, the tour I took inside certainly did.
On my tour, I learned the doors had recently been replaced using the same African mahogany as the original ones; the Ernest A. Batchelder tile flooring hasn’t been removed or replaced since construction; even the 850 seats in Hough Hall are the same – Wilborn told me the hall had never held pews, even as a church. Most seats, as Wilborn pointed out, still have hat racks attached to their undersides.
Thanks, Josh! As a former journalist myself, I have to say the Northeast Journal is a beautiful example of what a small publication can do. It’s printed on high-quality paper, with vivid color pictures, and features some really strong local writing, like the history columns of Will Michaels. His story this month focuses on Al Capone in St. Pete.
Thanks to everyone at the Northeast Journal. You can pick it up around the Old Northeast or read the entire publication on line by following this link.
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