This afternoon I was lucky enough to join the Bridgeport Historical Society for an exploration of the two mammoth old theaters on Main Street that have been deteriorating for decades. The Poli Palace and Majestic Theaters apparently were built in the 1920s, started with live stage shows and then in the ’30s transitioned to movies. By the late ’60s it seems things came to an end, except for a period in the ’70s when the son of the then owner attempted a revival, showing movies again. I’ve heard many people who saw movies in these buildings say that they were really something else, and I think you’ll be able to tell from these photos which I took.
It’s sad that the buildings have been left to rot, but they really are a thing of the past. I can’t imagine what the use for the buildings could be – certainly not live performance – except maybe a church like we have in Brooklyn. For something like this you could preserve the wonderful architecture and have a regular use for the venue. Seems unlikely to happen in Bridgeport, though…
Here’s what I saw when I first entered the Poli Palace (3000+ seats) through tarp at the back of the orchestra level.
Organ pipes.
View of the stage from the balcony.
Chandelier and dome above the balcony in the Poli Palace.
Above the proscenium is a mural depicting Marie Antoinette.
The balcony in the Poli Palace is massive! This photo only shows up to a railing, but there’s a whole other section beyond. I haven’t been in a lot of these kinds of theaters, but I remember The 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle is huge like this. The air was thick with dust so photos taken with a flash (which you had to use because there were only a couple generator-powered lights in the place) mostly show light reflecting off all the dust in the air.
Here’s another mural; this one is in the balcony.
Yikes! Everything is rotting.
Side balconies or box seats.
Detail from the plaster work on the front of the side balconies.
Heading back up to the lobby of the Poli Palace.
Check out that ceiling, the mirrored walls, and the marble staircases in the lobby!…
…and the chandelier!…
This door goes from the inner lobby to the ornate passage that goes out to Main Street.
Looking back into the inner lobby.
Wow…this place is something else…
SO…as if the Poli Palace wasn’t enough of an experience for one day, right next door is the Majestic Theater:
Slightly smaller than the Palace, but just as ornate, the Majestic has a fancy drop flown in that makes the place feel even more antique than it actually is…
Closer look at the incredible painted drop at the Majestic.
This is the real thing!
Interesting backstage signage…
In the lobby of the Majestic.
The upstairs lobby of the Majestic.
After an hour-and-a-half of inhaling god knows what in these old buildings, I was ready to make use of this decrepit exit!!!
Touring these old buildings was very interesting and fun. I remember before they demolished all the old Vaudeville/Broadway theaters turned movie theaters on 42nd Street to make way for all the Disney development that Fiona Shaw gave a dramatic reading of T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland” in one of the soon-to-be-torn-down theaters. It made a big impression on me. It would be so cool to give a performance of some sort in one of these old theaters…what I wouldn’t give for a production of Follies or Terrence McNally’s Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams in there… Can you imagine???!!! 
