Hippodrome State Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse — Gainesville
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 25 Southeast 2nd Place, Gainesville, Florida |
|---|---|
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | John Young, James Knox Taylor |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000659 |
| Added to NRHP | July 10, 1979 |
The Hippodrome Theatre, often called The Hipp, is a special place in downtown Gainesville, Florida. It's a professional theatre where actors perform plays for audiences. Local actors started it in 1973. The building became a U.S. historic place on July 10, 1979. This means it's an important building with a lot of history!
Contents
History of the Hippodrome
From Post Office to Theatre
The building where the Hippodrome Theatre is located was finished in 1911. It wasn't always a theatre! For many years, it served as a U.S. Post Office on the first floor. This is where people would send and receive mail. The second floor was a Courthouse, where legal cases were heard.
Building Features
Inside the Theatre
When you go inside the Hippodrome today, you'll notice that many of the original walls, doors, and wooden beams are still there. These parts are from when the building was a post office and courthouse. It's like stepping back in time!
Florida's Oldest Elevator
The Hippodrome building has one of the oldest working elevators in all of Florida. It's a very old-fashioned elevator that needs someone to operate it by hand. The operator has to close a screen and a door, then pull a handle to make it move up or down.
This historic elevator was temporarily stopped from working in January 2024. This happened after an inspection found some problems with its braking system, which helps it stop safely. After a year of planning, work to fix and restore the elevator began in February 2025. The repairs cost about $135,799. This money came from a special tax in Alachua County called Wild Spaces & Public Places. The work included fixing broken parts and making new ones.
Modern Upgrades
In 2013, the theatre needed to update its movie projectors. Old 35 mm movie film was being phased out, so they needed to switch to digital projectors. They raised money through special grants and a Kickstarter project to help pay for the $40,000 cost.
The Hippodrome also got more renovations in 2020. These included making the lobby look better, improving the lights both inside and outside, getting new speakers, and upgrading the air conditioning. These improvements cost over $324,000. Part of the money also came from the Wild Spaces & Public Places tax.
How the Hippodrome Works
The Hippodrome Theatre uses professional actors for its main plays. They also have their own teams who design the sets, create the costumes, and handle all the sound and lighting for each show. Besides plays, the Hippodrome also shows art house films, which are often unique and independent movies.
The theatre also offers many ways for people of all ages to learn about the arts. They have classes and camps, programs that go into schools, workshops, and chances for adults to learn about what happens behind the scenes of a play.
The Hippodrome is a cozy place. Its main stage, where the plays are performed, has 268 seats and is on the second floor. The cinema space, where movies are shown, has 80 seats and is on the first floor.
