Mar-Lea Theatre
37 N. 6th Street,
Haines City,
FL
33844
37 N. 6th Street,
Haines City,
FL
33844
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According To The Haines City Historical Society, The Mar-Lea Theatre was built in 1921 a few months after the Wray Drugstore and Hotel Next door.
The Mar-Lea Theatre was built by Baseball great Tommy Leach’s son, Nelson Leach and his brother-in-law, Vance Marquis from Bartow.
The theatre was a one story building and later expanded in 1924 seating 300 patrons. It originally showed silent movies until “talkies” were invented around 1930.
Previously silent movies had been shown in a small building on Railroad Avenue (across the street from the downtown) so it was a big hit for area citizens to watch new movies, news reels, and shorts of the day in a new modern building.
Tommy Leach and his family took over ownership and operated the theatre until the building was gutted by a fire sometime between 1935 — 1937. Victor Wray purchased the land in 1940 and expanded his building for the drugstore and hotel with one storefront on Sixth Street.
The was a Haines City Theatre (not the twin) which resided in the downtown area of Haines City around the late forties or early fifties. Might this be it under a different banner.
Sure could use an exact address, more info, and more photos.
Bravo, got this photo working too!
This is a picture from 1925.