CLOSED: Structural damage reported at Palace

Mar. 24—UPDATE: The Gene Watson concert at the Palace scheduled for Saturday has been rescheduled to June 24. Ticketholders unable to attend in June should contact the Palace Theatre at 931-484-6133 for a refund. The Muppet Movie scheduled for Friday has been rescheduled for July 15.

UPDATE: There's good news and bad news about the Palace Theatre structural issues. Bad news — the Muppet Movie scheduled to show Friday evening and the Gene Watson concert Saturday are canceled. Palace staff are working to reschedule. Good news — the disruption may only last a week or so.

The Palace Theatre is closed until further notice after structural damage was reported at the historic building on Main St. Wednesday.

City Manager Greg Wood told the Chronicle Thursday a structural engineer had cleared the business side of the facility to reopen.

"They think if we get the weight off the roof, the other side should be OK," Wood said.

Initially, city personnel were concerned about cracks seen in the interior wall, but Wood said, "It looks like those may have been there are while."

However, Wood added, "We will not have a concert this weekend."

Country music singer Gene Watson was scheduled to play before a sold-out audience Saturday night.

A portion of the brick wall along West Ave. fractured at the roof line, Wood said. Bricks fell onto the roof, leading emergency personnel to block the street Wednesday afternoon.

The sidewalk in front of the Palace and W. First St. from Main St. to Rector Ave. are closed to pedestrians and vehicles.

Wood said the city hopes to reopen the street in a couple of days.

The Highland Federal Savings and Loan ATM is accessible from W. First Ave. from West Ave.

Crossville meteorologist Steve Norris said wind speeds in Crossville had been a steady 40 mph at the time of the damage, with gusts up to 50 mph in downtown. These were straight-line winds, he added.

Palace Theatre staff will be contacting ticket holders for upcoming shows.

The Palace Theatre opened in 1938. Eston Smith was the architect and William Garrison the builder. It retains much of its original exterior design, reflecting the Art Deco and Art Moderne architectural styles. The construction also made use of native Crab Orchard Stone.

The theater closed in the late 1970s following the opening of the Capri Theatre, and the building sat empty for many years, falling into disrepair.

It was featured in the 1987 book Great American Movie Theaters by architectural historian David Naylor. In 1994, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, but it was still in poor condition.

By 1990, the building had no roof. The city of Crossville purchased the building in 1992 for $50,000.

The city council voted to hold a referendum on taking a $550,000 loan to pay for restoration, which passed by a 3-to-1 margin.

Downtown Crossville Inc. helped lead fundraising efforts, including the sale of sidewalk stones, lobby tiles and "Pennies for the Palace," an effort by local school children to support the cause.

The restoration was also supported by a $264,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Restoration costs continued to rise, however. In January 2000, the council voted to tear down the building. Two weeks later, the council reversed their previous vote, with one council member changing their vote.

The Palace Theatre reopened in February 2001 and has served as a community auditorium, movie theatre and performance venue hosting local, regional and national acts.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.