Port Theatre

314 Reid Avenue,
Port St. Joe, FL 32456

4 people favorited this theater

Built in 1938 with brick and steel, the Port Theatre is a unique Art Deco style building. It has withstood many hurricanes and although it has been usable for our business since 1996 (we conduct auctions in the building), it still could use some TLC and additional restoration. We spent three years getting it listed on the National Register of Historic Places (June of 2003 it was official) and everyone loves this building!

Located in the heart of downtown Port St. Joe, a block off Hwy 98 in the Panhandle of Florida, near some of the most pristine beaches in existence. This area, once called “The Forgotten Coast” is booming and our theatre is beginning to bloom. We thought we had it sold to someone who was going to complete restorations and open the building as a theatre, but things didn’t work out. Would love to talk to theatre enthusiasts who have an interest in owning a piece of history.

The Port Theatre was sold at auction in August 2007. The buyer didn’t state what plans he had for the building.

Contributed by Paula Clark

Recent comments (view all 43 comments)

kencmcintyre on November 21, 2008 at 8:08 pm

Here is part of an August 2007 article from the News Herald:

About 60 people listened to an auctioneer sell the Port Theatre in Port St. Joe earlier this month. It was the final curtain for the historic building until its next reincarnation, but no one is saying what production that might be.

Apalachicola businessman Harry Arnold purchased the theater for $505,000 after a back-and-forth bidding spree against one other bidder. Port St. Joe businessman David Warriner was believed to be the other bidder. The structure has stood at 314 Reid Ave. in downtown Port St. Joe for 69 years, a literal shell of its former self for decades.

Although the theater fronts Reid Avenue, the manager’s apartment on the second floor of the building looks out over U.S. 98 and St. Joseph Bay. Wade and Paula Clark purchased the old building in 1995, holding auctions in the space for 11 years until they closed the doors in January and moved to Tennessee.

Built of brick and steel in 1938, the art deco-style theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 2003. The theater’s new owner would not comment after the auction as to what might be in store for the historic building.

Joe Vogel on January 22, 2009 at 4:58 pm

Here’s a brief item from the January 21, 1939, issue of Boxoffice Magazine: “Port St. Joe, Fla.â€” The Port Theatre, which opened last June, reports good business at this point. The house seats 964 persons and is managed by Roy Williams. It is owned by R. E. Martin Jr., E. D. Martin and Hugh G. Martin. The same three also own a house at De Funiak Springs."

That’s the earliest mention of the Port I can find. I was hoping for something earlier that might give the name of the architect.

Several later mentions of the Port in various issue of Boxoffice are mostly trivial, though one from March 18, 1950, said that a cross had been burned in a vacant lot across from the theater, and the following day manager C.J. Brown received a threatening, anonymous note warning him not to show the racially-themed movie “Pinky” or to “…suffer the consequences.”

A June 28, 1965, item said “David Smith has acquired the Port Theatre at Port St. Joe, a former unit in the Martin circuit.” A December 19, 1965, item said that the Port had been closed by its owner, D. Rollyn Smith. A May 1, 1967 list of theaters reopened during 1966 included the Port. No word on how long Mr. Smith had kept the theater closed. After that, there are no more mentions of the Port that I can find.

lostmemory on April 23, 2009 at 11:18 am

Here are two 1988 photos:

Photo1

Photo2

lostmemory on May 12, 2009 at 8:41 am

The Port Theater is listed on this real estate site.

lostmemory on May 16, 2009 at 5:48 am

Here is a 2009 photo.