The Palace & Majestic Theaters in Bridgeport, Connecticut were built in 1921-1922 as a single complex consisting of two theaters, and a hotel. This complex was designed with unbelievable detail by theater architect Thomas W. Lamb, and was built by Sylvester Z. Poli, who built a chain of theaters around the northeastern US around this time. The Palace theater on the left was built with a seating capacity of 3700, while the Majestic theater on the right sat 2600.The theaters were built with the intention of being the go-to destination for theater lovers looking to attend vaudeville performances, and with the in-house hotel operating as a place geared towards traveling performers playing at the theaters, and anybody associated with the shows. The architecture of the two theaters are arguably some of the most stunning theaters in the country, and with the theater being built with magnificent detail, space, and the feeling of luxury, it was a recipe for success. Both the Palace Theater, and the Majestic Theater operated with separate vaudeville performances for decades, however, the theaters eventually shifted towards showing silent films, and eventually motion pictures with sound. In 1934, the theater complex was purchased by a theater chain with the name of Loew’s, and the complex was renamed the “Loew’s Poli Theater” which continued to operate showing films. Eventually, the city Bridgeport’s popularity as a high travel destination for entertainment tremendously declined, and Bridgeport’s factories closing down led the area even further downhill. With lack of attendance of the theaters, showings began occurring very scarcely, and this led the Majestic Theater to close permanently in 1971. However, the Palace Theater remained open, and began showing only adult films in 1974, however, the Palace ended up closing permanently the following year in 1975, leaving the whole theater, and hotel complex abandoned, and boarded up for good. Despite this however, the building was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1979, but despite the historic recognition,  the fate of these huge, magnificent theaters has been dim since its closure. Sitting in a vacant state has taken a toll on the forgotten theaters… Wall plaster began to crumble, artwork began to fade, paint began to peel, and floors began to become weaker. It is clear that the city of Bridgeport would be taking no action, and no owners would be interested in restoring the historic theaters, and this is simply due to renovation costs, and lack of entertainment demand in the area. Today, things seemed to have turned around slightly, as efforts by the city of Bridgeport have been made to give these dilapidated theaters a new life. Work began on the Majestic theater, cleaning out much of the leftover stage props, removing the curtain, and cleaning up the theater. These plans have been off and on and have been moving slowly however, and today, the theaters still remain boarded up, and dilapidated, however, the Bridgeport Police Department is located behind the old theaters, and the police keep a close eye to make sure the buildings are protected from the outside world. All in all, the future for the old Palace, and Majestic theaters remains untold, and we truly do not know if there will be another curtain call seen for these incredible icons of theaters.