Washington Theatre
254 W. Voorhis Avenue,
DeLand,
FL
32720
254 W. Voorhis Avenue,
DeLand,
FL
32720
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A small movie theatre which is listed as operating in Film Daily Yearbooks 1941 and 1950.
Contributed by
KenRoe
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The Washington Theatre was an African American Theatre, opened in 1939 – closed in 1961, seating listed at 254.
About two years ago, I drove by the Washington Theatre and noted that a law firm was now occupying the building.
In 1972 (while attending college in DeLand), I stumbled upon this theater. It was wide open and I just walked right in. It was closed but in good condition. The booth was fully 35mm equipped with Brenkert projection heads and Strong Electric carbon-arc lamphouses. This was not a “brick and mortar” building. It had concrete slab flooring and corrugated sheet metal walls. This sheet metal was painted with dark blue and burgundy stripes. It had a small balcony with about 2 or 3 rows of seats. It had a marquis and full signage. I do not really recall what that looked like. There were huge fans that were beneath the screen. I guess this was the cooling system. I spent a couple of afternoons “exploring” this theater. It looked in generally good condition to me. About 3 months ago, I visited DeLand for the first time since 1972. “254 Voorhees” is a small business (as mentioned by other members). There is a huge vacant lot to the left of this business. This lot is where the Washington Theater once stood.