The Palace did a lot more than show movies
The Palace Theatre opened in 1921 as a silent-movie house. Most people stop there, which means they miss the best parts.
In 1922 it hosted the first public exhibition of radio in Calgary. An audience sat and listened to three members of the Palace orchestra playing over the Calgary Herald’s radio station, later known as CFAC. That’s a room full of people hearing music come out of the air for the first time.
Then, beginning in 1925, William Aberhart (the future premier of Alberta) broadcast his Back to the Bible hours from its stage.
Calgary’s concert hall for decades
The Alberta Register of Historic Places calls the Palace the city’s most important venue for theatre and concert performances until the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium opened in the mid-1950s.
It became a National Historic Site in 1996, and Parks Canada points to its place in the cultural life of the city as part of the reason.
A movie palace, a radio stage and a concert hall, all under one roof. Stand outside it on Stephen Avenue and you can see where all of it happened. If you like the radio side of the story, Calgary heard its first public radio in a movie theatre, and Aberhart’s Palace broadcasts get a post of their own.
Related reading from us: The Edmonton International Film Festival Just Turned 40 and Never Seen Calgary horror short and the team behind its glowing monitor.
Also from the archive: Vertigo Theatre Sells Mystery From the Base of the Calgary Tower.
Quick answers
The Palace Theatre opened in Calgary in 1921 as a silent-movie house. In 1922 it hosted the first public exhibition of radio in Calgary, and an audience listened to three members of the Palace orchestra play over the Calgary Herald’s radio station.
The Palace Theatre became a National Historic Site in 1996. Parks Canada points to its place in the cultural life of Calgary as part of the reason, and the Alberta Register of Historic Places calls it the city’s most important theatre and concert venue until the mid-1950s.
Beginning in 1925, William Aberhart, the future premier of Alberta, broadcast his Back to the Bible hours from the Palace Theatre stage. The Palace did a lot more than show movies in Calgary, from radio demonstrations to sermons and concerts.
The Alberta Register of Historic Places calls the Palace the city’s most important venue for theatre and concert performances until the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium opened in the mid-1950s. For decades before that, the Palace was Calgary’s concert hall.
Sources: Alberta Register of Historic Places, Parks Canada.
