Stage Entrance at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
Dublin Core
Title
Stage Entrance at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
Alternative Title
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center
Subject
Sanford (Fla.)
Buildings--Florida
Performing Arts--United States
Theaters--Florida
Theater--21st century
Segregation--Florida
Description
The current stage entrance of the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, which was formerly the segregated colored entrance at the Milane Theatre and later the Ritz Theater.
Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed 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 Theatre 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.
Originally the Milane Theatre, the building was constructed 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 Theatre 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.
Creator
Cepero, Laura
Source
Original color digital image by Laura Cepero, June 9, 2011.
Publisher
Date Created
2011-06-09
Is Part Of
Milane Theatre Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
813 KB
953 KB
1.28 MB
1.28 MB
Medium
4 color digital images
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford, Florida
Spatial Coverage
28.810527, -81.266859
Temporal Coverage
2008-01-01/2011-06-09
Accrual Method
Item Creation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Laura Cepero and owned by RICHES of Central Florida.
Rights Holder
Contributing Project
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
"Helen Stairs Theatre." StageClick. http://www.stageclick.com/venue/457.aspx.
Sanford: Our First 125 Years. Sanford, Florida: Seminole Herald, 2002.
"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
Transcript
Stage Entrance
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
4 color digital images
Collection
Citation
Cepero, Laura, “Stage Entrance at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center,” RICHES, accessed May 23, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/1121.