From Poli's Palace to The Hanover Theatre The air was electric. Theatregoers, many clad in formal wear, strode along a red carpet while a searchlight lit up the sky. It had been years since Worcester had seen the level of excitement surrounding the opening of The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts. A sense of accomplishment filled the evening. Hundreds of businesses, individuals and organizations had pulled together and raised $31 million to preserve a unique piece of the city’s history. The theatre had once been a splendid representation of the "Golden Age of the Movie Palace," an era when luxurious surroundings were integral to the entertainment experience. The Worcester palace boasted shimmering crystal chandeliers, towering marbleized columns, mirrored walls and gilded ornamentation. In that sumptuous milieu, patrons enjoyed stage performances and feature-length movies screened to the accompaniment of a mighty organ. O ver time, television encroached and families moved to the suburbs, diminishing the appeal of a night out downtown. Worcester’s palace eventually was converted to a four-screen movie house. By the late 1990s, the building was vacant and up for sale. When the curtain rose again on March 14, 2008, ever y seat was filled. A collective sense of awe rippled through the audience. Broadway singer and actress Bernadette Peters took the stage in a sequined gown and reflected
Opening night at The Hanover Theatre, March 14, 2008 (left) Bernadette Peters performs on opening night (above)
the sentiment of many when she exclaimed, “The restoration is gorgeous!”
A Stop for Touring Companies
The story of The Hanover Theatre begins in 1904, when Ransom Clarke Taylor, a Worcester real estate developer, built the Franklin Square Theatre on Southbridge Street. It was a playhouse with 1,700 seats that drew Broadway touring companies. Celebrated French actress Sarah Bernhardt performed on its stage in 1906 during her American farewell tour. Taylor was a self-made man with a commitment to the future of Worcester. He was raised in Northbridge in modest circumstances. He made a fortune in the meat business and then, at the age of 37,
