Restoration of Hilo’s Treasured Theater Brings Hope to Community
The Beaux-Arts style Palace Theater, nestled in the heart of Hilo’s historic bay front area, has served as an architectural landmark and cultural gathering place since 1925. Listed on both the National and Hawai‘i Registers of Historic Places, the original design remains largely intact. Inside, the 485-seat capacity theater was constructed to be, and still remains, an acoustically perfect venue. Over the years, however, general decline exacerbated by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake and Hurricane Lane events in 2018 left the Theater in deteriorating condition. Water seepage had created severe cracks in wood and stucco façade to the extent of pieces were falling loose onto the street, posing a public safety hazard. The once state-of-the-art air conditioning system from the 1950s had been inoperable for decades. In addition, the Fire Marshal required an upgrading of water sprinklers system to meet code. Faced with these challenges, The Friends of Palace Theater embarked on an ambitious rehabilitation plan for both interior and exterior repairs. Historical architect Glenn Mason provided historic preservation and architectural services. The projects were supported by two grants from Historic Hawai‘i Foundation—one through the Hilo Preservation and Beautification Program and a second as a challenge grant through HHF’s partnership with the Freeman Foundation. Wendy Peskin, president of the Palace Theater Board of Directors, said the challenge was met by major gifts from community members and generous theater patrons. Exterior restoration of the exterior included repairs to the stucco and wood façade, repairing rot on the doors, painting the façade and trim, replacing the awning and installing new neon for the signature marquee sign. The project also addressed interior needs for the safety and comfort of patrons. Before replacing the air conditioning system, the Palace upgraded electrical [...]