In our last article about Wright-Dunbar, we showed the buildings that once housed the Pekin and Midget Theaters on West Third Street. But the premier entertainment district on the West Side of Dayton was found just a few blocks south.
The business district on West Fifth Street, also known as the Nickel, was a thriving commercial and cultural destination for Dayton’s African-American population. Due to discrimination and segregationist housing policies, the West Side was one of the only parts of town where African-Americans could comfortably settle, and they built a strong community full of churches, shops, restaurants, clubs, and theaters.
The two theaters on West Fifth, the Classic and the Palace, were true gems. The Classic Theater was built in 1926 and was the first theater in the United States to be built and operated solely by African-Americans, in this case Carl Anderson and Goodrich Giles. The Palace Theater, even larger than the 500-seat Classic, was constructed the following year in 1927. As the Nickel grew over the subsequent decades, West Fifth Street would see performances by many big-name acts including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Count Basie.
But you won’t find any traces of these two theaters, or any of the Nickel, today. A devastating series of circumstances including the riots of the late 1960s; highways 75 and 35 chopping up the neighborhoods; and continued deindustrialization and suburban flight in the surrounding area led to extreme neglect and eventual demolition of all of the commercial buildings.
Fortunately, several Daytonians have worked hard to document and continue to share the stories of our lost communities on the West Side. These include author Margaret Peters
Today we are lucky to share another Daytonian’s documentation of the Classic and Palace Theaters. Dan Arnold is a photographer who had a chance to explore the shuttered theaters in the 1980s as a student.
Dan shares more of his beautiful (and haunting) shots, as well as his memories of the experience, below:
“I have always been interested in local history. I lived in the Cincinnati area until 1975 and loved visiting the downtown area with all of its significant historical buildings. After moving to the Dayton area I was saddened to see a lot of the old downtown theaters had been demolished. During that time I volunteered at what was then called the Victory Theater to help clean it up. Thankfully that theater was later restored. The Classic and Palace theaters on West Fifth Street were not so lucky.
In the fall of 1983 I was a student at Ohio Institute of Photography. I contacted the city of Dayton and asked permission to photograph the interior of these two theaters for a college assignment. They agreed and met me at the Classic Theater to let me inside. I do not remember if they had to let me into the Palace. I believe it was already open. I do remember that they told me to be careful because of the conditions inside of both theaters. The inside of the Classic was very dark which made it a challenge to photograph.
The Palace was not as dark because of light streaming in through large holes in the roof. The stairs in the Classic were so badly covered in debris that I did not feel safe climbing them. The steps in the Palace were not as bad and seemed structurally sound, so I had access to the balcony and projection booth. Sadly a lot of the architectural details were stolen or in very bad shape. The photos show the terrible condition inside these theaters at that time. Restoration at this point would have been very difficult.” –Dan Arnold
And despite dedicated preservation efforts in the following years, including a listing on the National Register of Historic Places for the Classic, both theaters eventually met the wrecking ball. The Classic was demolished in 1991 and the Palace in 2002, and I recount much of their history in my book Lost Dayton, Ohio. Thanks to Dan for sharing his photography so we can all once again see these long-lost Dayton landmarks.
Slideshow of Palace Theater Photos
All photo credits: Dan Arnold
Hi Andrew,
My name is Dana Blaine and I am the Assignment Editor and WDTN. I am working on our Black History program and I am interested in learning more about and doing a story on West Fifth Street or “The Nickel” as it was called. You can reach me Mon-Fri from 9am -6pm at 937-293-5121. I look forward to hearing from you.
Both are big losses, but the Palace interior is so cool.