Milane Theatre Opened Last Night to Record Breaking House and Could Not Accommodate Any More: But Same Picture Will Be Shown Tonight for Those Who Failed to Get Seats
Dublin Core
Title
Milane Theatre Opened Last Night to Record Breaking House and Could Not Accommodate Any More: But Same Picture Will Be Shown Tonight for Those Who Failed to Get Seats
Alternative Title
Milane Theatre Opened Last Night to Record Breaking House
Subject
Sanford (Fla.)
Theaters--Florida
Description
Newspaper article about the opening of the newly-built Milane Theatre, which was highly successful with a sold out house.
The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue in Sanford, the former location of the Star Theatre, an abandoned movie house. Scroggs and Ewing, architects from Georgia, prepared the plans for the Milane. The name of the new theater was derived from the combination of the presidents of the Milane Amusement Company president and vice president: Frank L. Miller and Edward F. Lane. The Milane opened in July of 1923 and seated 823 patrons. In 1933, the Milane was sold to Frank and Stella Evans, investors from Lake Mary, Florida. The new owners renamed their business the Ritz Theater and held the property until the 1990s. However, the Ritz struggled financially in the 1960s and closed in 1978 due to failure to compete with the new multiplex theaters. The building remained vacant until 1984, when it reopened as the Showtime Cantina. The Showtime Cantina closed in 1988 and remained vacant and in decay. In the mid-1990s, Ritz Community Theater Projects, Inc. acquired the property and began rehabilitation in 1998. On May 6, 2000, the theater reopened as the Helen Stairs Theatre in honor of the citizen who led the restoration project, Helen Stairs. The following year, the location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008, additional renovations were completed at the theater was renamed the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center in honor of the Wayne Densch Charitable Trust Fund for contributing to the renovations fund.
Source
Photocopy of original newspaper article: The Sanford Herald, August 2, 1923: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Publisher
Date Created
ca. 1923-08-03
Date Copyrighted
1923-08-03
Date Issued
1923-08-03
Has Format
Original newspaper article: The Sanford Herald, August 2, 1923.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of photocopied newspaper article: The Sanford Herald, August 2, 1923.
Is Part Of
Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Milane Theatre Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpeg
Extent
1 MB
Medium
1 newspaper article
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Sanford, Florida
Spatial Coverage
28.810527, -81.266859
Temporal Coverage
1923-08-02/1923-08-03
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Visual Arts Teacher
Provenance
Originally published by The Sanford Herald.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by The Sanford Herald and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
"Helen Stairs Theatre." StageClick. http://www.stageclick.com/venue/457.aspx.
"Theater History." Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center. http://www.wdpac.com/footer-menu/theater-history/.
"Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center." Seminole County: Florida's Natural Choice. http://www.visitseminole.com/things-to-do/general/wayne-densch-performing-arts-center.
External Reference Title
Document Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Newspaper article
Collection
Citation
“Milane Theatre Opened Last Night to Record Breaking House and Could Not Accommodate Any More: But Same Picture Will Be Shown Tonight for Those Who Failed to Get Seats,” RICHES, accessed May 23, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/1089.