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 people 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 orchestra pit, a ceiling against which images of twinkling stars are projected, and terrazzo flooring. The air-conditioning system, which was the first in the county,[clarification needed] 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]
Image gallery
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Polk Theatre as viewed from the sidewalk, October 2006. -
Polk Theatre as viewed from the street, October 2006 (landscape). -
Polk Theatre as viewed from the street, October 2006 (portrait). -
Polk Theatre as viewed from the street, June 2019.
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Polk Theatre - History of the Theatre". Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Polk Theatre in Lakeland, FL". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
- Lakeland Historical Trail at Historic Hiking Trails
- History of the Polk Theater
External links
Media related to Polk Theatre (Lakeland, Florida) at Wikimedia Commons
