Commission moves to place Florida Theater on local registry

Published on February 07, 2025

To help revitalize Gainesville’s 97-year-old Florida Theater, the Gainesville City Commission voted Thursday to add the landmark to the Local Register of Historic Places. The designation is expected to receive final approval with a second reading on Feb. 20, opening the door to opportunities for grants, tax credits and other incentives to support a much-needed restoration of the historic property.

“This is an important building that we don’t want to lose,” said Gainesville Mayor Harvey L. Ward. “By bringing the Florida Theater back to life, we would not only preserve its history for future generations, but we’d also put in place one more piece of the puzzle for a fully revitalized downtown.”

The theater at 233 W. University Ave., constructed at a cost of $150,000, opened in September 1928 as the city’s only movie house. Touted in original advertisements as on par “with the finest in the entire south,” the theater was equipped with an early sound system called Vitaphone and attracted crowds from across the region. When the Great Depression hit, the theater turned to marketing ploys such as raffles and beauty pageants. These and other themed events proved popular, often selling out the entire 800-seat facility.

By the mid-twentieth century, Gainesville’s downtown was beginning to fade and the theater went through a long economic slide. This ended in 1974 when new owners bought the shuttered property, outfitted it with state-of-the-art sound and light technology — along with an upstairs bar — and reopened it as a music and entertainment venue called the Great Southern Music Hall. The hall brought nationally famous music and comedy acts to Gainesville, even earning a mention in Billboard Magazine. However, in less than a decade, the theater had again closed its doors.

Since 1990, the Florida Theater has mainly served as a location for dance club parties and events, while supporters continued working to restore its status as a valuable community facility. The latest project dates to 2017, when club promoter Bill Bryson purchased the property with the intention of turning it around in a relatively short time. Those plans fell apart in the wake of the pandemic but the enthusiasm remained.

The conversation was revived in July 2024, when Bryson and Mayor Ward invited a coalition of local architects, contractors, fundraising and marketing experts, downtown business owners and finance professionals to brainstorm available options. Adding the theater to the Local Register of Historic Places, as recommended by the Gainesville Historic Preservation Board and the City Plan Board, should help move the project forward.

“In addition to providing important protections, this designation also lets us streamline some processes that are part of restoration work,” said City of Gainesville Historic Preservation Officer Kathleen Kauffman. “For a structure like the Florida Theater, the Historic Preservation Board would be most interested in saving the façade and preserving the building’s original character while interior work proceeds to make it a more modern, usable facility.”

The theater owner is already seeking assistance through a City of Gainesville Business Improvement Grant. Offered by the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA), this 50% matching grant helps owners of buildings and businesses within the GCRA district improve their building façades and other exterior elements. The Business Improvement Grant Program meets reinvestment objectives identified within the GCRA 10 Year Reinvestment Plan.

By Jennifer Smart