Historic Palace Theatre

Since 1942, the Historic Palace Theatre at 305 Mason Avenue has stood as a landmark in Cape Charles and has continued to serve as a center of the town’s cultural life.
 

In 1941, developer William C. Parsons purchased several properties to construct a motion picture theatre for Cape Charles, which at the time served as a major rail and ferry transportation hub.
 

The theatre’s striking Art Deco design was envisioned by Alfred Lublin, a Jewish architect who emigrated from Germany in the 1930s. Lublin set out to design the most spectacular moving-picture theatre between Norfolk and Philadelphia. The Palace Theatre spared no expense, from the signature façade, hand-painted linen murals commissioned from artists in New York City, air conditioning, walnut paneling, upholstered seating, a lavish ladies’ powder room, high-quality projection equipment, and one of the largest movie screens in Virginia. 
 

Because of Lublin’s vision, the Palace remains one of the most distinctive buildings in the Cape Charles streetscape. Parsons leased the theatre to George E. Ward and Raymond M. Grimmer to operate. The Palace Theatre opened on March 18, 1942, with the film Rage in Heaven, drawing more than 1,000 moviegoers. In addition to regular film showings, the venue hosted big bands as well as the Miss Virginia pageants in 1952 and 1953.
 

Following the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel in 1964, Cape Charles experienced economic decline. The Palace eventually ceased operating. Titanic was the final film shown in 1997.

That year, Clelia Cardano Sheppard and a group of arts supporters founded Arts Enter Cape Charles, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing visual and performing arts to the community. Magia, Arts Enter’s first production, sold out the Palace Theatre and received a standing ovation. In 1998, arts advocates George and Virginia Savage and Tommy and Malvina Savage sold the property to Arts Enter, and an ongoing restoration was begun.
 

Today the Palace hosts theatre productions, symphonies, live music, movie screenings, and an international film festival. In 2019 John and Clelia Sheppard purchased the building to ensure its stewardship and continued use by Arts Enter. Through this partnership, the Historic Palace Theatre remains an active center for creativity and community life in Cape Charles.