The Art Theatre opened around 1941 and lasted until about 1951-52. The Garden (singular) was operating in 1934 at least, and the original incarnation as the Park-Seventh was operating in 1927 for sure.
Judging from that 1940 picture, the theater would’ve been at the southeast corner of Manatee at 14th Street, with an address of about 1335 W. Manatee. It’s hard to believe, but virtually everything in the picture has been demolished, except for the church on the left and the tall building in the back right.
The theater appears to have been operating until at least 1959. One newspaper ad I found leads me to believe it was at the northwest corner of US 92 and Dairy Road. This makes sense, too, as this area has historically been the black side of town.
The address should be updated to 114 S. Kentucky Avenue. There’s a pizza parlor there called Palace Pizza. This newspaper article has a vintage nighttime shot.
The address is 120 N. Broad Street. This is the second Dixie, replacing an earlier one that burned down. The building at this address is the old theater building, which was remodeled extensively in the 70s.
Some interior pictures from 1981 can be seen in an issue of the St. Pete Times here.
There’s a small nighttime picture on their website. I’ll drive down there this December or so and get some pictures of the Florida, Ace, Burns Court, and Gompertz.
The Virginian was opened by B.D. Robinson in 1916. Initially a vaudeville house, it began showing motion pictures a few months after opening. The Virginian became the Sarasota sometime in the 20s, and then changed its name to the Ritz in 1934, at which point it was run by the E.J. Sparks circuit. The Ritz was the first of the two major downtown theaters to close. It was operated by Florida State Theaters in its later years. The building was demolished in 1968 and a parking lot was established in its place. A restaurant is now on the site. The theater’s address would’ve been about 1481 Main Street (the northwest corner of Main and Lemon).
A 1925 article announces the construction of a theater at the corner of Hinson and 8th Street, directly across the corner of the Hotel Polk. The hotel’s still there, but nothing else on the corner resembles a theater.
Yeah, I think that was a misprint. This theater was located at about 2029 134th Street or 691 US 281 (depending on where you click). There is new development along the edge of the property, but the ramps are still faintly visible.
Oilfield Safety, Incorporated occupies a part of the drive-in lot; its address is 2523 2nd Street West. The theater is gone, but it looks like part of the fence remains. The screen was at the corner of Front Street and 26th Avenue.
Floyd took control of this drive-in, along with the Mustang and 28th Street Drive-ins in 1971. The Sky-Vue closed in 1973, with mounting costs associated with bringing the theater up to code being cited as a reason for closure.
I was able to locate two drive-ins in the Manchester area. Neither have Manchester mailing addresses, but they were both located just outside town. Sadly, both have been replaced by Walmart.
North of town:
3 Commerce Dr, Hooksett, NH 03106
West of town:
17 Colby Ct, Bedford, New Hampshire 03110
This one may have stuck around until ~1995, but was gone by the end of the decade.
It would’ve been at about 1950 N. Ajo-Gila Bend Highway. The layout is preserved, except for a new road and a small building at the edge of the lot.
You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I couldn’t find an address on WV 2, but if that one works, might as well have that one listed.
Roughly 1960 Smith Township State Road.
Roughly 1715 Old Highway 7.
Long gone.
The Art Theatre opened around 1941 and lasted until about 1951-52. The Garden (singular) was operating in 1934 at least, and the original incarnation as the Park-Seventh was operating in 1927 for sure.
No, it was open as the Garden Theatre in the 30s and as the Park-Seventh as far back as 1927.
Here is a picture of the former Florida Theatre that I took in October 2010.
Here is a picture of the former Ritz Theatre that I took in October 2010.
Judging from that 1940 picture, the theater would’ve been at the southeast corner of Manatee at 14th Street, with an address of about 1335 W. Manatee. It’s hard to believe, but virtually everything in the picture has been demolished, except for the church on the left and the tall building in the back right.
The theater appears to have been operating until at least 1959. One newspaper ad I found leads me to believe it was at the northwest corner of US 92 and Dairy Road. This makes sense, too, as this area has historically been the black side of town.
The address should be updated to 114 S. Kentucky Avenue. There’s a pizza parlor there called Palace Pizza. This newspaper article has a vintage nighttime shot.
The address is 120 N. Broad Street. This is the second Dixie, replacing an earlier one that burned down. The building at this address is the old theater building, which was remodeled extensively in the 70s.
Some interior pictures from 1981 can be seen in an issue of the St. Pete Times here.
There’s a small nighttime picture on their website. I’ll drive down there this December or so and get some pictures of the Florida, Ace, Burns Court, and Gompertz.
Listed as a colored theater in 1953.
The Virginian was opened by B.D. Robinson in 1916. Initially a vaudeville house, it began showing motion pictures a few months after opening. The Virginian became the Sarasota sometime in the 20s, and then changed its name to the Ritz in 1934, at which point it was run by the E.J. Sparks circuit. The Ritz was the first of the two major downtown theaters to close. It was operated by Florida State Theaters in its later years. The building was demolished in 1968 and a parking lot was established in its place. A restaurant is now on the site. The theater’s address would’ve been about 1481 Main Street (the northwest corner of Main and Lemon).
The article on the theater’s closing stated that it could seat 1,245 people: 794 in the auditorium and 451 in the balcony.
A 1925 article announces the construction of a theater at the corner of Hinson and 8th Street, directly across the corner of the Hotel Polk. The hotel’s still there, but nothing else on the corner resembles a theater.
Yeah, I think that was a misprint. This theater was located at about 2029 134th Street or 691 US 281 (depending on where you click). There is new development along the edge of the property, but the ramps are still faintly visible.
Oilfield Safety, Incorporated occupies a part of the drive-in lot; its address is 2523 2nd Street West. The theater is gone, but it looks like part of the fence remains. The screen was at the corner of Front Street and 26th Avenue.
Great news!
Floyd took control of this drive-in, along with the Mustang and 28th Street Drive-ins in 1971. The Sky-Vue closed in 1973, with mounting costs associated with bringing the theater up to code being cited as a reason for closure.
I was able to locate two drive-ins in the Manchester area. Neither have Manchester mailing addresses, but they were both located just outside town. Sadly, both have been replaced by Walmart.
North of town:
3 Commerce Dr, Hooksett, NH 03106
West of town:
17 Colby Ct, Bedford, New Hampshire 03110
I couldn’t find either of those on old topographic maps. I’ll look again in case I missed them.