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Grand Cinema Florida

Florida Theatre | Grand Cinema | Neon Theatre | Florida Main

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Marion Theatre
Ocala, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

The 1940s Marion Theater in Ocala, Florida has all the art deco trimmings of the time both inside and out. The interior is said to have a twin in Miami. In 1993, the city of Ocala spent $800,000 on the largest renovation project ever, to revamp it into the Discovery Science Center. The museum moved out a short time later. When a Christian coffee house asked for the building for free, the city declined their offer. The building presently sits empty.

 

UPDATE 01/07 : Here is an update on the Marion Theatre in Ocala. We have just begun a $1.3 million dollar renovation project on the theatre and it projected to be finished in July of 2007. More information can be found at Ocala.com. Many thanks to Brian Sofsky for update. 01-07

Marion Theatre interior photos
Ocala, FL
Photos courtesy Brian Sofsky

 

UPDATE 02/07 : Here are a couple of photos of the inside of the Marion Theatre showing work in progress. Many thanks to Brian Sofsky for update. 02-07

 

 

Edison Theatre
Fort Myers, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

Check out this streamline theatre in Fort Myers, IL. This theatre is called the Edison Theatre and was closed in the 1980's.

 

UPDATE 05/13 : The Edison Theatre is now being used as office. 05-13

 

 

Seminole Theatre|
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

The Seminole Theater on Florida Avenue in Tampa has managed to survive since the 1920s. It once had a tall neon marquee above the center entrance. At one point it must have been replaced by a smaller movie board and the theater itself at the present moment appears to be occupied by a religious organization.

 

 

Springs Theatre
Tampa, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

The Springs Theater is in a pretty rundown part of Tampa on Nebraska Avenue. A while back it was being used as a place for bands to practice. There is a lot of great history to this tiny piece of the city. The theater was once part of a much larger resort and shopping area for people who visited the Sulfur Springs swimming area. The spring is now so polluted that the environmental divers are afraid to go in it. It gets so bad that folks tend to want to go to the Alpine Liquor Store next door.

 

 

Polk Theatre
Lakeland, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

The Polk Theater is located on the main drag of downtown, Lakeland, FL. It is a four story building that was built in1927. It is still in operation and used for movies and live performances. It seats 1400. What is interesting to note about the structure is that it was the first theater in the country in the 1920s to have air conditioning. A pump was attached to an artesian well and the water would chill the building.

 

 

Strand Theatre (Closed)
Key West, FL
Photo and info courtesy Paul Bauke

The Strand Theatre in Key West, FL is now a Walgreen's, but at least the sign is still lit as though the Strand were still open.

The Strand opened in the mid-1920's only to close in the 1980's. After a stint as a nightclub and then a Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, the old theatre became a Walgreens drug store. The interior with the exception of the balcony is history. More information about this theatre can be found here. 01-09

 

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© Copyright 1998-2021 Syd Nagoshi. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the author.