PALACE THEATRE
St. Paul, Minnesota
"A noteworthy example of preservation on a severely limited budget. Rather than replicating what had been lost, Oertel Architects refurbished the remaining historic fabric and gave it a neutral background, allowing historic components to read as artifacts." ~Diane Trout-Oertel
Built in 1916, and unused since 1984, this historic theater is being given new life as a musical venue owned by the city of St. Paul and operated in conjunction with First Avenue and JAM Productions. Work included tearing out the main level seating thereby creating a large general admission area, adding bars, new restrooms, and backstage green rooms.
The major design philosophy was “preservation through stabilization”. The intent wasn’t to restore the building to its original state, but a conservation to feature the worn and weathered aesthetic. We worked to strip away modern renovations to uncover, stabilize, and protect what remains of the original building, supplementing complementary modern construction techniques as required.
PRESS
These 11 projects by Minnesota architects won awards for excellence in 2021- Star Tribune, December 10, 2021
How did the $16M Palace Theatre do in its first year? Better than expected- Pioneer Press, March 17, 2018
Arch Daily- November 2017
Mayor Chris Coleman- featured in Architecture Minnesota, June 2017
St. Paul’s newly renovated Palace Theatre dazzles on opening night- Pioneer Press, March 10, 2017
Review and photos: Atmosphere open the Palace Theatre with a bang- The Current, March 11, 2017
St. Paul's Palace Theatre feels like a second First Ave- Star Tribune, March 13, 2017
VIDEOS
The Palace Theatre continues to move through its renovation process, preparing to fill a gap in St. Paul venues when it opens next year. Until then, the Palace Sessions continue (having been pioneered by Jeremy Messersmith and deM atlaS), and this time, Sarah White performs in the under-construction space.