Picture the multi-story electric sign that once topped this 272-foot tower, claimed the largest of its kind in the world. Built in 1922 and named by owner Edward Albee II in memory of B. F. Keith, it once carried the Palace Theater, the former flagship of the Keith vaudeville circuit. From the moment it rose in 1922 it held a civic pride: it was Cleveland’s tallest building until 1924 when The 925 Building surpassed it, and it remains the tallest performing arts–related building in Ohio.
Picture the roof from 1922 through the mid-1950s, topped by a multi-story electric sign that was claimed to be the largest electric sign in the world at the time of its construction. The Palace inside is Playhouse Square Center’s second-largest theater in seating capacity, a reminder of the building’s vaudeville prominence. In 1978 the Keith joined the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Playhouse Square Group consortium, and as of 2017 this renovated landmark serves as an office tower.
The Palace inside remains Playhouse Square's second-largest theater, a reminder of the vaudeville era you can still feel in this office tower.