Lake Theatre
601 Lake Avenue,
Lake Worth,
FL
33460
601 Lake Avenue,
Lake Worth,
FL
33460
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Architects: Roy A. Benjamin
Functions: Art Gallery, Information Kiosk, Live Performances
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Lake Avenue Theatre
Nearby Theaters
This very elegantly designed Streamline Moderne style theatre with its boxy but rounded facade and ribbed detailing opened as the Lake Theatre in 1939 (also known as the Lake Avenue Theatre). It was the work of prolific Florida architect Roy A. Benjamin. The Lake Theatre was closed on June 15, 1974 with Walt Disney’s animated feature “Robin Hood” & Michael Douglas in “Napoleon and Samantha”.
The building housed the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art until its closure in March of 2005. Since January 2012 it has been the home of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County
Contributed by
Bryan
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 31 comments)
If you’ve tried the link directly above, click on “Pasta Palace/Palm Beach Post/Jan. 9 1976” for the ad itself.
Walking past the building last night, noticed signs announcing the Palm Beach County Cultural Council would soon be setting up headquarters. Turns out the family donated the building in Robert M. Montgomery’s memory. Click below for (presently) a partial exterior shot with the new signage:
View link
Then go here for the announcement:
View link
As for movies nowadays on Lake Avenue, I can report the nearby Lake Worth Playhouse’s Stonzek Theatre (a 48-seat black box space) is alive and thriving with art house fare. Even with limited space, they’ve proven worthwhile successors to the still much-missed Carefree.
http://www.lakeworthplayhouse.org/indie_films.html
This was formerly in the ABC Florida State chain.
This building is now home to the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. Great place to view works by local artists, shop locally handmade gifts, find out about cultural events & organizations, etc. It’s free and open to the public Tues-Sat from 10am to 5pm.
http://www.palmbeachculture.com/contactus
This page from the Palm Beach Post web log has several images of the Lake Theatre, including an early drawing from the office of architect Roy Benjamin, showing the proposed building with a different marquee and without the rounded corner.
Circa 1940’s photo added courtesy of Alvin Lederer.
Palm Beach Post article about the Lake and other Palm Beach area theatres.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/entertainment/ghost-buildings-the-lost-movie-theaters-palm-beach-county/JR3HksX4rLOpSzsxsZk91O/
The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, a combination art gallery, performance space, educational center, gift shop and tourist information kiosk that is currently housed in the former Lake Theatre is visited starting at 11:50 in this Lake Worth episode of the PBS tv program “On the Town in the Palm Beaches” on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/-61xIcKfLV0?t=710
Nice contemporary exterior shots at 12:30 and 13:00, but also a historic depiction back at 2:41 and 4:03 even though that part of the program is discussing the Lake Worth Playhouse.
Article in the Palm Beach Florida Weekly about the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County moving in to the former Lake Theatre in January of 2012:
https://palmbeach.floridaweekly.com/articles/cultural-council-opening-in-robert-m-montgomery-jr-building/
The original Lake Theatre closed for the final time on June 15, 1974 with Walt Disney’s “Robin Hood” and “Napoleon And Samantha”. It was originally supposed to be converted into a mini mall but a restaurant named Pasta Palace was in-place instead.
The Lake Theatre originally had a 160-seat balcony but that part of the theater was shuttered for the remainder of its history for unknown reasons, with the walls being dark with tobacco stains. The theater’s management once got into trouble in 1964 after a woman who contended the theater broke her ankle after tripping over an empty popcorn box and later file a suit against them after.