Polk Theatre (Lakeland, Florida)

Polk Theatre

The historic Polk Theatre
Address 121 S Florida Ave,
Lakeland, Florida
Coordinates 28°02′36″N 81°57′26″W / 28.0432°N 81.9572°W / 28.0432; -81.9572
Owner Private
Type Atmospheric
Capacity 1,400
Current use

Performance Theatre

Polk Theatre and Office Building
Location 121 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, Florida
Coordinates 28°2′35″N 81°57′28″W / 28.04306°N 81.95778°W / 28.04306; -81.95778
Built 1927
Architect James E. Casale, George A. Miller
Architectural style Italian Renaissance
NRHP Reference # 93000446[1]
Added to NRHP May 27, 1993
Construction
Opened 1928
Architect J.E. Casale
Website
http://www.polktheatre.org

The Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida is a historic theater located at 121 South Florida Avenue.

The 1,400 seat theatre was built in 1928 after the local business "boom" of the town had ended and despite the fact that the population was only 15,000 inhabitants. In 1982, a group of concerned citizens banded together to save the theatre from being razed due to low attendance. Local citizens formed a non-profit group, borrowed money, secured a grant from the state, and purchased the theatre for $300,000.[2] The Theatre has a mezzanine, a high balcony, a permanent backdrop of a "Venetian piazza," an orchestral pit, high twinkling stars, a cloud-covered ceiling, and terrazo floor. The air-conditioning system (the first in the county) was a pump that used artesian well water to chill the building.[3]

Under the name Polk Theatre and Office Building, the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ http://www.polktheatre.org/history.asp
  3. ↑ http://cinematreasures.org/theater/2577/

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