Florida Theatre facts for kids
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Exterior view of the venue's marquee (2016)
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| Address | 128 E Forsyth St Jacksonville, FL 32202-3366 |
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| Location | Downtown Jacksonville |
| Capacity | 1,900 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | April 8, 1927 |
| Reopened | 1983 |
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| Website | |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82001034 |
| Added to NRHP | November 4, 1982 |
The Florida Theatre is a historic movie theater located in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It first opened its doors in April 1927. This special building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 1982. On April 18, 2012, a group of architects in Florida named it one of the top 100 buildings in the state.
The Florida Theatre is one of only five grand movie palaces still standing in Florida. These theaters were built in the 1920s in a beautiful style called Mediterranean Revival. The other four similar theaters are the Olympia Theater (Miami), the Saenger Theatre in Pensacola, the Polk Theatre in Lakeland, and the Tampa Theatre in Tampa.
Contents
History of the Florida Theatre
Building the Grand Theatre: 1926-1960
Construction on the Florida Theatre began in the summer of 1926. A company called Southern Enterprises, Inc. started the project. The architects were R. E. Hall & Co. and Roy A. Benjamin. They designed the theatre to be a tall, strong building with a garden on the roof. It was built mainly for showing movies and live performances.
Before the theatre was built, a police station and jail stood on the same spot. These old buildings were taken down to make way for the new theatre. It took only one year to build the Florida Theatre. It opened to the public on April 8, 1927. At that time, it was the largest theatre in Florida.
The opening night was a big event. It included music from the American Legion Bugle Corps, a live stage show, and the movie Let It Rain. The Florida Theatre was open from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. It showed many different films, news reports, and live stage shows. In 1938, the roof garden was closed. It was replaced with offices that could be rented out.
A famous event happened on August 10–11, 1956. Elvis Presley performed two shows at the Florida Theatre. Some leaders in Jacksonville did not like his dancing. A group was formed, and a judge prepared to arrest Elvis. The judge and Elvis had a private talk. The judge warned Elvis that he would be arrested if he did not follow orders. Elvis performed his show without any trouble from the police or the judge.
Saving the Theatre: 1960-Today
By the 1970s, the Florida Theatre was not doing well. On May 8, 1980, it had to close its doors. People realized how important the theatre's history and design were. The State of Florida gave a large grant of $500,000 to help save it. The City of Jacksonville also gave $350,000, and people raised another $150,000.
On October 31, 1981, a group called the Arts Assembly of Jacksonville bought the Florida Theatre for $1 million. They immediately started working to fix up the old building. They spent $5 million on the repairs. The Florida Theatre was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 1982.
One year later, on August 26, 1983, the newly fixed Florida Theatre reopened to the public. On October 1, 1987, the Florida Theatre became its own independent organization. It is now managed by its own board of directors. Today, the Florida Theatre is home to the Florida Ballet, Theatreworks, and the yearly Community Nutcracker show.
See also
In Spanish: Teatro Florida (Estados Unidos) para niños
