Palms Theater
East Main Street,
New Port Richey,
FL
East Main Street,
New Port Richey,
FL
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Opend on August 27, 1921. It was built by Rufus and Margaret Jackson. Newspapers in 1922 indicate that an entertainment feature was shown on Saturday nights and an educational feature was shown on Wednesday nights. A 1924 advertisement indicated that “moving pictures” were being shown on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and showed John S. Jackson as proprietor.
After the theater was closed, about 1926, it was used as a feed store and later as a recreation hall for children. On Apr. 12, 1929, the New Port Richey Press reported that J. S. Jackson, “until last week manager of the Meighan Theatre here” would be remodeling the old Palms Theater and that he would “show the same high grade pictures at the Palms as were shown at the Meighan”. The New Port Richey Press reported on Feb. 28, 1930, that the theater would reopen on Saturday night. Unknown if it did reopen.
The theater eventually burned to the ground on January 30, 1938.
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TC
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
Thanks for the “before” pictures. Now for the “after” pictures, after the fire:
http://www.fivay.org/images/ghs2183.jpg
http://www.fivay.org/images/ghs2184.jpg
http://www.fivay.org/images/ghs2185.jpg
http://www.fivay.org/images/ghs2197.jpg
Good catch. The picture of the Palms appears to demonstrate a bungelow style architecture with the lattice work. It is no wonder that the flames were so huge on the subsequent fire.
A bit of curiosity: The Meighan /Richey reopened on 1/28/38 after a 4 year dormancy. The Palms burned down on 1/30/38. Coincidence?
Remember that the former manager of the Meighan ran (or at least planned to run) the Palms.
I do not know whether the Palms Theater was an open air theater, but apparently the fire was started by a boy playing with matches. An older resident of New Port Richey told me recently that he was “certain” that a friend of his (whom he named) was playing with matches on a Sunday morning and inadvertently caused the fire. (A check of a calendar confirms that Jan. 30, 1938, was a Sunday.)