Downtown in Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)
Sit-In Demonstration Site
Penthouse/United Artists Theater
— 625 South Fourth Street —
Photographed By Shane Oliver, July 26, 2021
1. Sit-In Demonstration Site Marker
The Louisville Palace Theater originally opened as the Loew's Theater in 1928, and is the former site of the Penthouse/United Artists Theater. The historic landmark opened in 1928 and was designed by architect John Eberson.
Elegant and ornate, the theater exhibits a Spanish Baroque motif with arcades, balconies, and turrets. Cobalt blue, bursts of red and gold indirectly light all of the niches, coves, and entrances. Above is a curved, vaulted ceiling with 129 sculptures of the faces of historical figures. The theater room inside The Palace is heavily ornamented and displays an imitation nighttime sky on the ceiling.
The theater was one of six local theaters identified by the NAACP for demonstrations because of their refusal to admit African Americans. As images o arrests appeared in local newspapers, the number of demonstrators and demonstrations increased outside the theater. Over 180 students and 10 adults were arrested during one of the largest demonstrations held.
Following the passage of the public accommodations ordinance, the theater continued to prosper through the '70s as a first-run movie palace.
In the early '90s investors undertook a multimillion-dollar restoration of the theater. Today, the Louisville Palace theater is owned by Live Nation Entertainment and hosts Broadway
this page online
"We shall all be free, We shall all be free, We shall all be free someday, Oh-o, deep in my heart. I do believe. We shall overcome someday."
(Lyrics derived from Charles Tindley's gospel song "I'll Overcome Some Day" (1900))
Erected 2013 by University of Louisville: College of Arts and Sciences and its Office of International, Diversity and Outreach Programs, Louisville Metro Council, Louisville Downtown Partnership, Office of the Mayor, Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. (Marker Number 8.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Civil Rights. A significant historical year for this entry is 1928.
Location. 38° 14.879′ N, 85° 45.478′ W. Marker is in Louisville, Kentucky, in Jefferson County. It is in Downtown. Marker is on South 4th Street just south of West Chestnut Street, on the left when traveling south. The marker stands in front of the Louisville Palace Theater. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 625 S 4th St, Louisville KY 40202, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named Sit-In Demonstration Site
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 24, 2022
2. Sit-In Demonstration Site Marker
Photographed By Shane Oliver, July 26, 2021
3. Louisville Palace Theater
Although not visible in this photo, the marker is next to the theater entrance, towards the right side.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 5, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 114 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 5, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. 2. submitted on August 5, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on August 5, 2021, by Shane Oliver of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
