100-year timeline of Morris Performing Arts Center's history

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·4 min read
This photo provided by The History Museum shows the mezzanine and grand foyer of the Palace Theater in South Bend when it was new. It opened Nov. 2, 1922.
This photo provided by The History Museum shows the mezzanine and grand foyer of the Palace Theater in South Bend when it was new. It opened Nov. 2, 1922.

∎ April 4, 1921: Excavation work begins on the future Palace Theater.

∎ 1922: The Palace Theater opens as part of the Orpheum Theatre chain. Built at a cost of $1 million, on land purchased for $100,000, it is heralded as a modern theater. Seating is more than 2,700. The stage could handle “tank acts” because it had hot and cold water intakes. Soon afterward, the Palace of Sweets restaurant opens within the building, with a candy factory and pastry kitchen in the basement.

This undated photo provided by The History Museum shows the Palace Theater under construction in South Bend from the southeast view across Michigan Street. The fencing in front of the Palace advertises a play called "The Bat," which came out in 1920. The theater opened Nov. 2, 1922, as the Palace Theater and was called the Morris Civic Auditorium from 1959 to 2000. It is now the Morris Performing Arts Center.

∎ Nov. 2, 1922: The first performance features a lineup of vaudeville performers who sang, danced, did comedy and brought “clever dogs,” according to Tribune archives, along with the silent film “The Cowboy and the Lady,” with “charming Mary Miles Minter and handsome Tom Moore in the principal roles.” It started without ceremonies. There wasn’t any reserved seating for the show. The standard admission for evening shows and Sunday and holiday matinees cost 22 to 45 cents, or 18 cents for ages 11 and younger. Afternoon shows on Mondays and Saturdays cost 22 cents, or 13 cents for ages 11 and younger. That didn’t include tax.

The Palace Theater opened Nov. 2, 1922.
The Palace Theater opened Nov. 2, 1922.

∎ 1929: The Palace is converted so that it could also show sound films.

This newspaper clipping shows The Tribune's coverage of the bombing of the Palace Café on Jan. 10, 1935. Its neighbor, The Palace Theater, was unharmed, but two other businesses were destroyed.
This newspaper clipping shows The Tribune's coverage of the bombing of the Palace Café on Jan. 10, 1935. Its neighbor, The Palace Theater, was unharmed, but two other businesses were destroyed.

∎ Jan. 10, 1935: Three nitroglycerin bombs destroy the Palace's next-door neighbor, The Palace Café, one of the hottest nightclubs in town. The theater escaped destruction, but Krauss Jewelry Store and the Dixie Frock Shop were not spared. The bombs went off around 4 a.m.

∎ 1920s-1950s: The Palace hosts famous artists, including George Burns and Gracie Allen, Laurel & Hardy, Houdini, Our Gang (later, The Little Rascals), Betty Davis, Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

∎ Oct. 4, 1940: The Palace hosts the world premiere of the movie “Knute Rockne: All American.” Nearly 2,400 people fill the theater as 24,000 gather outside to glimpse the movie stars that visited, including Ronald Regan, who played the role of George “The Gipper” Gipp, and Pat O’Brien, who played Rockne. Three other local theaters also show the premiere: the Granada (directly across the street), Colfax and State.

On Oct. 4, 1940, the world premiere of the movie "Knute Rockne — All American" came to the Palace Theater, along with the Granada, Colfax and State theaters in South Bend.
On Oct. 4, 1940, the world premiere of the movie "Knute Rockne — All American" came to the Palace Theater, along with the Granada, Colfax and State theaters in South Bend.

∎ Jan. 14, 1953: A fire erupts in the orchestra pit. Saved with the help of safety equipment, it reopens a few days later.

∎ 1959: Owners vote to demolish the Palace Theater, given the declining attendance. Later that year, South Bend philanthropist Ella L. Morris purchases the Palace for an undisclosed sum and sells it to the city for $1. More than 100 people give her a standing ovation in the South Bend Common Council chambers as she presents the deed to the city. With a $15,000 facelift, the theater soon reopens under the new name Morris Civic Auditorium.

∎ 1960s-1990s: The Morris hosts top contemporary artists, including Louis Armstrong, Marvin Gaye, Hank Williams, Stevie Wonder, REO Speedwagon, The Eagles, ZZ Top, Aerosmith, Loretta Lynn, Fleetwood Mac, Ted Nugent, B.B. King, and Hootie and the Blowfish.

This newspaper ad advertises the May 25, 1975, concert by Fleetwood Mac, with special guest Bob Seger, at the Morris Civic Auditorium.
This newspaper ad advertises the May 25, 1975, concert by Fleetwood Mac, with special guest Bob Seger, at the Morris Civic Auditorium.

∎ May 1998: The Morris closes for a restoration that will take nearly two years, expanding the stage to make it 1.5 times deeper and 25% taller and growing the seating capacity from 2,468 to 2,564.There is plaster restoration and repainting. The carpet, elevator and HVAC system are replaced. More dressing rooms, restrooms and storage rooms are added.

∎ March 19, 2000: The renovated theater reopens with a celebration and under a new name: Morris Performing Arts Center. The reopening was planned for the prior November, but construction delays pushed it back. At a community grand re-opening event, entertainer Ben Vereen and local acts perform. Also, a narrator tells a tongue-in-cheek story of the theater’s history and renovation as if the Morris itself was speaking like a grand “old dame,” as scripted by former Tribune columnist Bill Moor.

∎ September 2018: A 2.5-foot piece of decorative plaster falls from the Morris ceiling. Major concerts are relocated. A temporary net is suspended for safety.

∎ March 4, 2020: "The Lion King" opens at the Morris for a run scheduled to continue through March 22. But on March 12, American Theatre Guild postpones all remaining performances in response to Gov. Eric Holcomb's ban on non-essential gatherings of 250 or more people in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The theater reopens more than a year later with a performance April 10, 2021, by the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. ATG still intends to reschedule "The Lion King" for a full run as time permits on the show's tour schedule.

∎ 2020: The capital campaign begins for the current renovations. Meanwhile, contractors finally repair the fallen plaster and secure other parts of the ceiling for $350,000 while the pandemic closes the theater.

∎ June 27-Sept. 30: The Morris closes for renovations, including replacement of the 100-year-old concrete main floor, a new roof, installation of new seats, and other modifications.

∎ Sept. 30-Oct. 1: The Morris 100 Fest celebrates the theater's centennial with outdoor concerts and events, concluding inside with a concert by headliners Barenaked Ladies and The Bergamot.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Morris Performing Arts Center timeline through the years in South Bend