and when it opened in 1914 it became the largest theater in the state and was praised as "a structure ranking foremost in American theatrical circles." From their inception, he had realized the potential of motion pictures and had begun adapting his theaters to the new medium. The Troy Proctor's classically inspired double-balcony form lent itself well to the movies because it put the audience close to the stage no matter where they were in the theater. It had not been designed to accommodate a projector and screen, but by the 1920s a booth had been added. During that era, its productions, like many other theaters of the time, included both live and filmed entertainment. In the 1930s, with the advent of the sound era making the live act superfluous, the central chandelier was removed along with some other renovations, including removing the paintings from the lobby and painting over the gold leaf in the orchestra. After Proctor's death in 1929, the theater continued to operate as a popular downtown destination. After the mid-20th century, it began to lose business due to television and suburbanization. In 1977, it finally closed, its last show seen by a crowd of around 170 people. The final show was The Longest Yard starring Burt Reynolds. A year later the city acquired the property when it foreclosed on the then-owners. It is the only remaining movie palace in Troy, albeit unused for that purpose ever since then. Relationship with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI students frequented Proctor’s Theater for movie screenings, live performances, and vaudeville acts during its run as a performance hall. Ads featuring performances at Proctor’s Theater were featured in the RPI Student Newspaper, The Polytechnic, until Proctor’s Theater closed in 1977. In the early 1900s, RPI students performed vaudeville and musical acts at Proctor’s Theater. The “RPI Nights” act originated in 1915 under the direction of C. F. Matthews, referred to as "Matty" by his peers at RPI. Matthews graduated from RPI in 1916, and the weekly RPI Nights performances also ended. In March 1922, a group of RPI students re-established the RPI Nights as a weekly act at Proctor’s Theater. After a successful opening night, as described in The Polytechnic, the “Campus Five” was established. The group featured five RPI students and was led by Mark Albert “Pete” Gerwig. Their repertoire included musical performances on the banjo, saxophone, violin, and included clog