Theaters of Jacksonville, Florida USA

Note: this post is part of the photo series Vintage Movie Theaters across the USA

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Last December my friend and I embarked on a road trip, from Tallahassee to Savannah, then down to Jacksonville Florida! 

 After crossing the Georgia-Florida line heading south on I-95 we took a ride on A1A to see Amelia Island. There's some interesting history there, and I may do blog post on Amelia Island in the future. A "Pippi Longstocking" movie was filmed there in the 1980s, but I've never seen it. 

We then continued on A1A and got to see as much as the coast as we could get to in one afternoon. 

 We then headed west on US Route 90 into Jacksonville. 

Our first stop was to check out a lovely theater in the San Marco neighborhood of Jacksonville, located on the east side of the St. John's River.  

The street it's on reminds me of a downtown of a small town, not a street in a big city!

San Marco Theatre

1996 San Marco Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32207

"Opened in 1938, the beautifully maintained San Marco Theatre remains immune to the travails of time and the Art Deco style movie palace is still showing movies after 63 years. Featured on the back cover of Davis Cone’s book, Popcorn Palaces, the San Marco Theatre is one of the most elegant and opulent cinemas in the city, designed by architect Roy Benjamin." - Cinema Treasures

We then had to cross the Main Street Bridge in order to cross the river to get the downtown part of Jacksonville. It is a neat bridge, built in 1941.

Our next destination was the Florida Theater.  Elvis Presley made one of his first concert appearances there. 

Here's the view of it coming off the ramp.

Florida Theatre

128 East Forsyth Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202

"This theater, located on Forsyth Street in downtown Jacksonville, is beautiful. It opened in 1927 and was designed to look like a Moorish courtyard at night inside, complete with dark blue sky with glowing stars, lit balconies and fountains. The theatre was designed with central heating and air conditioning." - Cinema Treasures

BELOW: I love this old fashioned ticket booth.

I wish we had more time to go inside. I'm sure it's stunning inside!

BELOW: Sign says "Welcome to Downtown Jacksonville"

Next up on the agenda is another urban movie theater of a bygone era, the Murray Hill Theater, now a concert venue in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville (932 S. Edgewood Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32205). My friend worked on a construction project nearby.  

"This theater is listed at open in 1950. It showed many B movies and was very popular. In the 2000’s, it was in use as a nightclub. By 2008 it was hosting concerts". - Cinema Treasures

There was only time for a couple of snapshots. But imagine coming to see a 3D monster movie here in the 1950s!

Movie theaters of Southeastern Georgia, USA (photos)

Note: this post is part of the photo series Vintage Movie Theaters across the USA

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Last month, my friend and I embarked on a road trip, beginning west of Tallahassee and onward to Savannah. On December 28, we made our way through two cities in southeastern Georgia and came across some cool vintage theaters. So what was I do ? Snap, snap away, of course. Here are the pics. Hope you enjoy them.

Driving east on Route 38, we made our way through Valdosta, Georgia...

and came across the Dosta Playhouse, which is now used primarily for live theater shows.

According to Cinema Treasures, the theater first opened in 1941, and showed movies.

One user commented that the theater used to be segregated.

Continuing northeast on Route 38, we passed through Waycross, Georgia.

First we saw the RITZ theater, which is - sadly - closed now. 

But according to Cinema Treasures, it was a thriving theater

in the 1940s and 50s.

A close-up of the relief - don't you just love this? 

Just around the block is another theater - The Ritz. 

Was originally a vaudeville house, and opened around 1913 according to Cinema Treasures.

It had a grand reopening in 1935, and showed movies starring Katherine Hepburn and Claudette Colbert. 

I love these old box office windows!!!!

They are so rare!

Now it is used primarily for community theater.

The Vance Theater in Chipley, Florida (photos)

Continuing  my ongoing series of photos of vintage theaters, today's focus is on the Vance in the small town of Chipley, Florida, which is about 10 miles south of the Alabama border. I was here on a road trip recently.

Unfortunately, the theater, like so many other movie houses of the past, is closed, and there is limited information online. The website Cinema Treasures had almost nothing to offer, but some user comments noted that the the theater had been open since at least the 1940s.

I can only imagine what it was like like to be inside. It seated 475 people, and had a balcony.

The Stanford Theater in Palo Alto, California

The Stanford in downtown Palo Alto is host to an all-year classic film festival.
Every weekend a double feature.
I first visited here in 2002 and again last year in 2012 to see Wagon Master and The Southerner.

According to Cinema Treasures, The Stanford opened in 1925

I love the Stanford. It's like stepping back in time to another era.

I'd like to visit again next month when I am in the area.

They are running a new series on Films of the 1950s

The State in Benton Harbor, Michigan

According to Cinema Treasures, the State opened in 1942 in Benton Harbor. 

A close-up of the marquee. 

Other buildings nearby are structures of another era, including an old Farmers and Merchants Bank.

The Michigan Theatre in South Haven, Michigan

Last month I went on a road trip with a photography group to southwestern Michigan. Our mission was to get some good shots of snow-covered lighthouses. We managed to get some good pics (see below), and I also took some pics of vintage theaters, too.

Below is the Michigan Theatre in downtown South Haven. It's still open, and showing Oscar-nominated films Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook. 

I love this marquee! I can only imagine what it looks like lit up at night.

50-cent popcorn and soda refills! Wow, that's a great deal!

According to Cinema Treasures, this theater may have been built around 1950, and it may have replaced another theater built earlier.  In this age of Netflix, Red-Box, Hulu and Streaming videos, it's nice to see it's still open!!

Downtown South Haven is like stepping back in time. You see mailboxes, department stores, ice-cream shops, and a row of a half-dozen newspaper boxes on the corner. 

A block down from the theater is a once-thriving department store, Hale's Department Store, which is closed, and out of business.

The owners have placed historic photos in the shop windows until the fate of the building is to be determined. 

This one was really cool. I love that basement staircase. Brings back memories of the old department store days.

Here's Hale's Department Store in it's WW2-era glory!

Not far from downtown, is the harbor and lighthouse, which is something of a tourist attraction. 

Lots of great photo opp's. 

The harbor. 

Look at that icy railing!!!

Look at those mini-icebergs!

Love these ice chunks!