One of the older symbols of Playhouse Square is the blue urn that sits in the Connor Palace theater. The blue urn is cobalt porcelain with brass handles, weighing 325 pounds. It sits on a slab of marble from Tunisia. The urn was made prior to WWI in Sevres, France. It’s sister urn is said to reside in the Louvre.
The blue urn was purchased by Edward Albee, the original owner of the Palace theater from C.A. Selzer, a Cleveland antiques dealer who had a shop in the nearby Buckley Building. The story goes that if the Palace theater stopped being a theater – the urn was to be returned to the antique dealer that sold it – so the urn stays to help ensure the Palace will always stay a theater.
Check out the urn on your next visit to the Connor Palace theater; it is located on the second floor of the grand lobby. To see Playhouse Square and the rest of downtown Cleveland, take one of our Downtown Highlights walking tours. Book here.