Gem Theater

118 NW 1st Avenue,
Mulberry, FL 33860

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Gem Theater (Official)

Additional Info

Functions: Movies (Classic), Performing Arts

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Gem Theater

I found this theater while driving through downtown Mulberry. It opened as the Gem Theater in 1947, with 450 seats. It was closed on September 1, 1957 and became a union hall.

It was extensively renovated and reopened as the Gem Theatre in 2021, a movies and performing arts space.

Contributed by Andy

Recent comments (view all 6 comments)

AndyCallahanMajorMajor
AndyCallahanMajorMajor on December 1, 2009 at 3:08 am

Thanks for that information. Couldn’t find anything online.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ferret111/4148264696/

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on December 1, 2009 at 8:54 am

This house is probably the one called the Gem Theatre. Boxoffice of September 14, 1957, reported that the International Chemical Workers Council had bought the Gem Theatre in Mulberry from its operators, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arnold. The equipment was not included in the $20,000 sale price, but the Council was considering purchasing that as well and reopening the theater.

The Gem was not very old at the time of its sale. Boxoffice of April 5, 1947, reported under the dateline Mulberry, Fla., “R. T. Arnold’s new 450-seat Gem Theatre here is now open.” This was apparently a replacement for (or perhaps an extreme remodeling of) an earlier Gem Theatre operated at Mulberry by the Arnolds which was mentioned in a July, 1946 issue of Boxoffice.

Nick DiMaggio
Nick DiMaggio on October 24, 2012 at 7:48 pm

Street view updated.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 24, 2013 at 6:40 pm

R. T. Arnold planned to rebuild the Gem as early as 1941, when the August 29 issue of The Film Daily carried this announcement:

“Gem Adds Balcony

“Mulberry, Fla. — Remodeling work on The Gem will include a balcony. Original plans did not call for this but it is being added in order to increase seating capacity of the small house. R. T. Arnold and Marvin Morris will operate the house when completed.”

I suspect that the project didn’t get under way soon enough to avoid the building restrictions imposed by the War Production Board following the entry of the United States into WWII, and that would account for the new Gem not being opened until 1947.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on September 23, 2021 at 1:31 pm

Closed On September 1, 1957.

robboehm
robboehm on September 23, 2021 at 8:23 pm

After extensive renovation reopened this year as a venue for films and performing arts. Uploaded some pix from their Facebook page.

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