It's not abandoned, but it's not exactly open to the public, or fully operational, either.
This weekend's tour revealed both sides of the historic theater, which has undergone a number of renovations over its 101 years in operation. Restoration efforts returned the Palace (formerly an Orpheum vaudeville theater, and subsequently the Palace Newsreel Theater and then a cinema specializing in Spanish-language film) back to various historical states, depending on the layers of paint peeled back, and the documentation available.
lobby
stairwell (recovered from severe water damage)
lighting fixtures in the house
etched glass panels, cleaned
stage
stage lights
curtain
fly gallery
backstage fire door
fly paper
ubiquitous red paint, peeling
dressing room
upstairs rooms
radiator in the upstairs room facing the front of the building, just above the marquee
white fire door
projection booth
balcony lighting fixture
hallway leading to upper gallery (segregated seating) bathrooms
upper gallery, not yet restored
nosebleed seats, with only benches (no railings) - right up against the ceiling
Most of the restoration completed was cosmetic and not structural, though some major roof fixes were necessary to arrest the water leakage that had caused the vast majority of the damage to the theater. Curtains were cleaned and mended. Seats were stripped down to their original wood backing. Paint was removed from wainscoting in the men's lounge, and moldings were reproduced with new plaster casts. Original wall and ceiling stencils were documented and buried under new coats of paint, matched as accurately to the period (which period?) as possible.
And now that the bulk of the public areas of the Palace Theater are ready for their close-up - a major accomplishment - who will find a way to open it up to the public? (And make some more money so budgets will allow for a more thorough restoration...?)
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A Day in Not-So-New Newark
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