Palace Theatre
Directions
From the North
Take I-71 South to the Broad Street exit and turn right. Follow Broad and the theatre is on the right.
From the South
Take I-71 North. Follow I-71 North to West Fulton St. in Columbus. Take exit 100A from I-70 E/I-71 N. Turn left on S. Front St to W. Broad St. Theatre will be on the right.
From the East
Take I-70 West to 4th Street exit and turn right. Take 4th to Broad and turn left on Broad. Follow Broad and the theatre is on the right.
From the West
Take I-70 East. Keep left at the fork to continue on I-670 East. Take exit 2A for OH-315 South. Follow signs for U.S. 40/Broad St. Turn left onto US-40 East/W. Broad St. Continue on Broad St. Theatre will be on the left.
Parking
PREFERRED
LeVeque Tower Garage
Parking garage right next to (and attached by 2nd floor skywalk) the LeVeque Hotel. The garage has covered parking, is open 24/7, cash and card are accepted. Find more Information here.
Save $5 by booking your parking ahead of time!
40 N. Front Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-222-0864
Ohio Statehouse Underground Parking Garage
The subterranean lot under Columbus Statehouse.
Note: All entrances and exits are open at this time, but construction may be ongoing. For the latest construction updates, click here.
1 Capitol Square
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Phone: 614-728-2557
More Parking Options
For more parking options visit the Downtown Columbus website.
Looking for something else?
Explore a variety of local restaurants, hotels, and more.
Theatre Accessibility
- Booster seats: Available for our youngest patrons on a first-come, first-served basis. Please ask a house manager upon arrival at the Palace Theatre. Inventory is limited.
- Accessible seating: Located in row K of the orchestra.
- Elevators: Not available at the theatre.
- Stairs: Required for seating in the lower boxes, loge, upper boxes, mezzanine, and balcony.
- Accessible restrooms: Located in the main lobby to the left upon entry.
- Audio description & ASL services: Available upon request by contacting access@capa.com.
- Listening devices: Available near the front lobby doors. Ask a house manager for assistance (ID or credit card may be required).
- ListenWiFi (formerly known as ListenEverywhere): Use your phone for assisted listening with the ListenWiFi app. Download for Google or Apple.
- Wheelchairs: Complimentary wheelchairs are available in the concessions storage area.
- KultureCity locations:
- Quiet Area: Located on the lower level of the Palace Theatre, beside the restrooms.
- Headphone Zone: Theatre area is considered a headphone zone.
- Sensory Bags: Please ask a House Manager for a Sensory Bag at the front entrance of the theatre; an ID or credit card may be required to be held during your use of the Sensory Bag.
- View KultureCity page here.
Designed in the spirit of France’s Palais de Versailles, the 2,695-seat Palace Theatre is located at the base of the LeVeque-Lincoln Tower. Adorned with chandeliers, a grand staircase, mural, hall of autographed pictures, and a fountain, the Palace is a delightful destination for an evening with the arts. Originally a vaudeville house, special attention was paid to the theatre’s acoustics when it was built. Consequently, there’s not a bad seat in the house!
Photo Gallery
Palace Theatre History
A Community Treasure
During the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, the Palace was the most active venue in Columbus for live performances. Still popular today, the theatre rarely has a dark night. Among the many events hosted by the Palace each year are performances from CAPA-presented and touring musical artists, comedians, and dance companies, Broadway in Columbus, and local arts organizations.
Vaudeville’s Columbus Stage
Architect Thomas Lamb, who also designed the Ohio Theatre, used France’s Palais de Versailles as inspiration for the Palace Theatre. Since the theatre was primarily a vaudeville house, and the performers had to be heard without amplification, great attention was paid to the hall’s acoustics. Construction was personally supervised by vaudeville mogul Edward Albee, and on November 8, 1926, the Palace opened its doors to the public as part of the Keith-Albee chain of movie/vaudeville theatres. In 1929, the Palace became the RKO (Radio Keith Orpheum), which it remained until the 1970s.
Home Away from Home
Since traveling shows typically played for multiple days and sometimes weeks, the backstage area of the Palace Theatre was designed with the performers’ travel needs in mind. The dressing room tower was organized like a small hotel, complete with a “front desk,” where performers could pick up their room keys and mail. There were also kitchen facilities and a designated children’s playroom. The dressing rooms were named after cities on the vaudeville touring routes and still bear those names today.
Animals touring with the shows were also taken into consideration. A porcelain animal bath was installed below the stage, as well as a ramp that led to the stage since many animals will go upstairs, but not down.
Star Power
Over the years, most of the top names in entertainment have appeared at the Palace Theatre, including Bing Crosby, Nat “King” Cole, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Jackie Gleason, Jack Benny, Mae West, Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, Burns and Allen, Eddie Cantor, Bill Robinson, Glenn Miller, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Harpo and Chico Marx.
The CAPA Era
In 1989, CAPA acquired the Palace Theatre, consolidating its administrative functions with those of the Ohio Theatre, and today continues its long tradition of presenting a large number of wide-ranging and diverse live stage performances each year.
