Opera House

SC00286.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

Opera House

Alternative Title

Opera House

Subject

Sanford (Fla.)
Buildings--Florida
Theaters--Florida
Opera--United States--20th century
Opera houses

Description

Photograph of the Opera House in Sanford, Florida. The Opera House was first replaced by the Star Theatre and then later the Milane Theatre.

The Milane Theatre was built at 203 South Magnolia Avenue. 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.

Abstract

The Opera House stood on the southeast corner of Magnolia Avenue and Second Street. It was replaced by the Milane Theatre in the 1920s.

Source

Photocopy of original black and white photograph: Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.

Date Created

ca. 1900

Has Format

Original black and white photograph.

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph.

Is Part Of

Milane Theater Collection, Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Milane Theatre Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Is Referenced By

Sanford, page 41.

Format

image/jpeg

Extent

1.41 MB

Medium

1 black and white photograph

Language

eng

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Sanford, Florida

Spatial Coverage

28.810527, -81.266859

Temporal Coverage

1900-01-01/1900-12-31

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Music Teacher
Theater Teacher

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by theĀ Sanford Museum 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.
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.

Transcript

OPERA HOUSE

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

1 black and white photograph

Citation

“Opera House,” RICHES, accessed October 14, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/1090.

Locations

Categories