Matanzas Theatre

Joe Vogel on March 22, 2015 at 7:11 am

Here is an item about the Matanzas Theatre from the July 2, 1938, issue of The Film Daily:

“Sparks Plans 16th Century Atmospheric Pix Theater

“St. Augustine, Fla. — Work has been started on a new 1,200-seat theater here by E. J. Sparks. H. L. Baird, Inc., of Jacksonville, is the general contractor and Roy A. Benjamin, also of Jacksonville, is the architect. The theater will be known as the Mantaza and will represent an investment of $100,000.

“The architecture will be of 16th Century Spanish and all ornamentation maintaining the proper feeling and atmosphere of other buildings in this America’s oldest city. Indirect lighting will be used exclusively.

“It is one of the few places where the Sparks interests have gone into a community, purchased land and erected a building. The usual procedure is for local interests to build a theater and lease it to Sparks.”

1938 was pretty late for a revival-style atmospheric house to be built. I wonder if this could have been the last of them?

MDaurora on February 5, 2010 at 3:08 pm

I was looking at the current street view of where this theater was and compared it with the 1950’s photos posted by ken mc back in 06. There are three kids on the little balcony above the marquee in the 1950’s picture. That balcony is still there. It looks like the facade remained and was incorporated into a new building. Could be wrong, but if it is, may there be some of the lobby, greatly altered, at least still there. The address on the current building is 22.

mikemorano on September 7, 2006 at 12:26 am

Those are cool photos but why do you post links 2 minutes apart. You do it most of the time and waste space. Put them all in one message. Thanx.

kencmcintyre on September 7, 2006 at 12:00 am

Here is a photo from the early 1950s:
http://tinyurl.com/o2o27