Audience at the Ritz Theater
Dublin Core
Title
Audience at the Ritz Theater
Alternative Title
Audience at the Ritz Theater
Subject
Sanford (Fla.)
Theaters--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Motion pictures--United States
Film
Movies
Audiences
Description
Anudience at a showing at the Ritz Theater. Originally 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.
Creator
Vincent, Tommy
Source
Photocopy of newspaper reproduction of original black and white photographs by Tommy Vincent: Vincent Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Date Created
ca. 1950-1959
Date Copyrighted
ca. 1950-1959
Date Issued
ca. 1950-1959
Has Format
Original black and white photographs by Tommy Vincent.
Newspaper reproduction of original black and white photographs by Tommy Vincent.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of photocopied reprint of black and white photographs by Tommy Vincent.
Is Part Of
Vincent Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.
Milane Theatre Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpeg
Extent
1.31 MB
1.31 MB
Medium
2 black and white photographs
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Sanford, Florida
Spatial Coverage
28.810527, -81.266859
Temporal Coverage
1950-01-01/1959-12-31
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Humanities Teacher
Visual Arts Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Tommy Vincent.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Tommy Vincent 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
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
2 black and white photographs
Collection
Citation
Vincent, Tommy, “Audience at the Ritz Theater,” RICHES, accessed April 19, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/1095.