The Roger Sherman Theater Block

New Haven was founded in 1638, and the first records of the plots which eventually became 226-260 College St. come from shortly thereafter, in 1641. The beginnings of life here as a theater district first stirred in 1917, when the Rialto Theater opened on this block. However, the theater’s life came to a tragic end a short four years later, when it was destroyed by fire, with the loss of several lives. By the time the Rialto burned down, New Haven had established a viable theater district along College St. In keeping with this urban programming, the site of the former Rialto Theater, as well as several of the adjacent buildings, were redeveloped into the Roger Sherman Theater block in 1925, a simple brick-faced building holding the edge of the street with regular cinema hall and somewhat amorphous Palace Theater behind. At the time, there was an opera house occupying the center of the block (behind the Union League Café), and the building’s form had to respond to the footprint of the opera, thus producing its irregular shape. The north and east (facing College St.) ends of the building are 186 feet by 152 feet, five stories, with poured concrete foundation and loadbearing masonry walls. It originally had a broad, segmental arch parapet above the steel and glass marquee entrance, though this no longer exists. The Palace Theater was in use until the just after the turn of the 21st century, and closed in 2002.



New Haven, Connecticut at Crown and College Street with 1970s cars and the Exorcist movie at right at the Roger Sherman Theater. July 1974. Photo courtesy of Andy Blair via Flickr. "People gather in the lobby of the former Palace and Roger Sherman Theater for the announcement that it will be reopened as the College Street Music Hall in New Haven on 1/14/2015. Photo by Arnold Gold/New Haven Register agold@newhavenregister.com" "Renovations have begun inside the former Palace and Roger Sherman Theater which will reopen as the College Street Music Hall in New Haven on 1/14/2015.Photo by Arnold Gold/New Haven Register agold@newhavenregister.com"