National Register of Historic Places

Polk Theatre and Office Building

Lakeland, Polk County, Florida
Listed
May 26, 1993
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
93000446

About this property

The Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida is a historic theater located at 121 South Florida Avenue. The 1,400-seat theatre was built in 1928 after the local business "boom" of the town had ended and despite the fact that the population was only 15,000 inhabitants. In 1982, a group of concerned people banded together to save the theatre from being razed due to low attendance. Local citizens formed a non-profit group, borrowed money, secured a grant from the state, and purchased the theatre for $300,000. The theatre has a mezzanine, a high balcony, a permanent backdrop of a "Venetian piazza," an orchestra pit, a ceiling against which images of twinkling stars are projected, and terrazzo flooring. The air-conditioning system, which was the first in the county, was a pump that used artesian well water to chill the building. Under the name Polk Theatre and Office Building, the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Location

121 S. Florida Ave.
Lakeland, Polk County, Florida
28.04326, -81.95760

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTENTERTAINMENT/RECREATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Oates Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Munn Park Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Lakeland High School, Old
Industrial
0.4 mi
Lake Mirror Promenade
Industrial
0.4 mi
East Lake Morton Residential District
Listed
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Polk Theatre and Office Building listed on the National Register?

Polk Theatre and Office Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 26, 1993.

What type of historic resource is Polk Theatre and Office Building?

Polk Theatre and Office Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Polk Theatre and Office Building?

The period of significance for Polk Theatre and Office Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Polk Theatre and Office Building?

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