PALLADIUM: THE GHOST

TOUR

Oct. 30, 2013Brandy Stark, PhD, Mary Noell, Donna B., Miki Gotshall Strange

Mission (via website: http://www.mypalladium.org/?page_id=2159)

The Palladium Theater at St. Petersburg College fosters artistically and culturally diverse performing arts, educational and film programs that bring artists and audiences together in a first-class, yet affordable theater setting.

•Present and produce a schedule of innovative arts performances and events.

•Provide a full-service, affordable rental facility for artists, producers and community organizations.

•Nurture relationships by partnering with established and emerging local artists and cultural organizations that use the Palladium as a venue for artistic growth.

•Showcase the educational programs of St. Petersburg College and afford students a cultural opportunity to work intimately with renowned touring professionals as well as with local artists.

Mission

History

The Palladium Theater was built in 1925 as the First Church of Christ, Scientist. [2]

Cornerstone ceremonies were held on Thanksgiving Day in 1925. [2]

Includes a 1926 Skinner organ, still in use today

Note: Vinoy, 1925; First United Methodist Church (red brick building), 1926.

Dedicated late 1942 - in keeping with the Christian Science custom of waiting to dedicate a church until after its debt was paid. [6]

Building designed by Howard Lovewell Cheney, who also designed Washington, D.C.s Reagan National Airport [2]�The building was built by the George A. Fuller Construction Company, builder of three iconic New York City buildings Flatiron �Building and the Lincoln Center in New York, as well as the National Cathedral and the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. [2]

History Sunday attendance: Initially standing room

only (auditorium held 1000), but by 1998, Sunday attendance had plummeted to about 50. [6] August 25, 2000: First Church of Christ Scientist

and the Third Church of Christ Scientist started to worship together [merger]

1998: That year, the church was sold to the Palladium Theater, Inc., an arts group

$300,000 in renovations/alterations completed Seats removed for stage, new lighting, new

acoustics, sprinkler system, accommodations, Sunday school rooms rennovated Gus Stavros Great Room (meetings), Side Door Cafe

Florida Orchestra first performance in the new theater

2007: St. Petersburg College bought it [6] 2012: Declared a Historic Landmark

Structure Romanesque Revival Architecture Centered in Germany, brought with

German immigrants in the 1830s Inspired by 11th and 12th century

Romanesque architecture. Revival style tends to have more simplified

arches/windows than original style Style widely used for churches Here:

Terracotta roof Corinthian columns Basilica floor plan (Roman)

Building Three main sections to building:

Hough Concert Hall (seat 880), recent remodel* and Skinner Pipe Organ**[3] [5]

Hough Hall Main stage (seat 850) [4] Side Door Cabaret (175-seat) [4]

Haunted Activity Sounds Sights

Peripheral vision manifestation Full manifestation Items moving

Smells Sensations

Cold, sensations of energy, or extreme warmth

Haunted Activity

Ghost types: Ghost/haunting: Site recording (no

interaction) Apparition: Active entity (interaction,

personality) Dreams: Ancient concept reported from

Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey to modern times

Crisis apparition: One time appearance to pass on a message

Poltergiest: Entity that moves items

Urban Legend A secondhand story (friend-of-a-friend,

FOAF) told as true and just plausible enough to be believed.

It may have a core truth to it that is exaggerated and adapted over time to various locations.

Usually involves supernatural, horrific, embarrassing, ironic, or exasperating series of events that supposedly happened to a real person.

http://urbanlegendsofflorida.homestead.com/urbanlegendinterview1definitions.html

Haunted Activity

Devil House: The lot behind the Palladium was once a house. The house was torn down by the city, but before it was at least one person reported that the people in it were Devil worshippers, complete with blood letting ceremonies. When the house was torn down the Palladium rented the lot for $1 per year for guest parking.

Rumors of Haunted Activity Word of mouth:

At one time, there were crypts associated with the church; a woman buried in a crypt haunts the Palladium.

“I don't have any specific stories, but I used to live near there, and I heard that it was haunted from several different people, some of whom had lived there for decades. This would have been in 1985 or thereabouts” (CA, via electronic submission).

Reported Haunted Activity Queen's Promenade: Two people reported

seeing a woman dressed in red or orange running (or hurrying) along in the room behind the Promenade. The image was seen only through windows and was very obscured. One person may have been prone to suggestion or imagination.

Possible cause for this: stop lights at an odd angle from the QP. (I included a photo below).

Reported Haunted Activity

Dressing rooms/Green room: A woman in red or orange was spotted there.

Note: A lot of energy in the area with Wifi, a/c units, and flat screen TVs

Reported Haunted Activity Main stage area: Sounds like

workmen setting up on stage late at night (2 or 3 in the morning).

Odd noises heard Possible explanation: Ice machine

which makes noises that echo through the building late at night.

Findings Too noisy to do EVP (electronic voice recordings) EMF: 0 – 3 scale, 1.4. Energy did go up and

down depending on the area we were in, especially near doorways. This would be related to wiring.

Using the EMF meter to question the entity, we did get spikes with “Are you here?” and “Can you confirm your presence?”

Dressing room: Sensation of energy

Main stage: Team member sensed a young woman in her 20s, tight silken dress, who liked to sing. Spikes on questions of time period: 1920 – 1940,

1970 Possibly had a heart condition. After the initial set of questions the energy seemed

to die down. Could relate to set up in Side Door Cabaret Elevator: Man in red uniform still there

Research/Paranormal

Crime No notable criminal activity in the

area [15]

No information discovered online with regard to haunting of location

No findings for the housing of crypts within its time as a church.

 

Resources [1] http://www.pcpao.org/ [2] http://www.mypalladium.org/?page_id=2159 [3] http://www.visitstpeteclearwater.com/listings/1501 [4] http://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/listings/008/a0t40000007qtovAAA.html [5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_M._Skinner [6]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/palladium-theater-is-designated-st-petersburg-historic-landmark/1234968

[7] http://www.mypalladium.org/?p=4422 [8]

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sptimes/obituary.aspx?n=sarah-deem-hogan&pid=165650919#fbLoggedOut

[9] http://www.memorialobituaries.com/memorials/obits_display.cgi?action=obit&memid=160232&clientid=brettf

[10] http://memorialpark.tributes.com/our_obituaries/Joanne-Oberkirch-Willis-87050934 [11] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Engleitner [12]

http://obit.funeralnet.com/obitdisplay.html?task=Print&id=1076201&clientid=brettfuneralhome

[13] http://www.sptimes.com/Archive/081500/Obits.shtml [14]

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19840906&id=dRsMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0FkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7032,1148982

[15] https://www.crimereports.com/map/index/?search=175%20Fifth%20Street%20North+St.%20Petersburg+FL

[16]www.spiritsofstpetersburg.com [17] Urban Legends of Florida.com