Palms 8 Theatre
Babcock Street and Laurie Street,
Melbourne,
FL
32935
Babcock Street and Laurie Street,
Melbourne,
FL
32935
1 person
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Kent Theatres opened the Palms and the Barn theater in Merritt Island on December 23rd, 1962. Grand opening ad posted.
In south Brevard, Kent at one time or another owned Van Croix, Palms, Nasa, and Satellite. As far as outdoor theatrs, Kent owned Melbourne Outdoor, Brevard, and Beach Drive Ins.
May 18th, 1984 grand opening ad as a 8-plex in photo section.
December 24th, 1978 grand opening ad as a 5-plex in photo section. It opened as a single-screen theatre in 1963.
jhuss1256, The NASA theatre opened at Babock Av. & NASA Boulevard on January 9th, 1970 by Kent theatres. I have the ad.
I grew up in Melbourne and remember going to the Brevard Drive In in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I specifically remember seeing E.T. The Extra Terrestrial when if first came out. The Drive-In was located adjacent to the Palms 5. The Palms owners demolished the drive in screen in built an addition to the original Palms 5 becoming the Palms 8. It operated into the late 90’s before finally closing.
They were Kent theaters. There was no NASA Theater in Melbourne! Growing up in the 60’s-80’s we had The Van Croix Theater on US 1, then the Palms. they were the only indoor theaters in Mewlbourne,. The we had two Drive-In’s, The Brevard Drive-In right next door to the Palms which was originnaly a one screen theater and the Melbourne Drive-In even though it was in West Melbourne.
. I went to the Palms Theater in the 60’s, 70’s and the 80’s. I remember that in 1969 I saw “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, “Battle for Britain”, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”, “True Grit” “Tora, Tora, Tora”, Kelly Heroes’” and many other great films there when it was a one screen and a two screen theater! I know it was open in the 60’s as a huge one screen Theater. It basically put the Van Croix out of Business when it expanded! I remember when the Brevard Drive-In closed they expanded to 6 screens if I remember right. I wasn’t in Melbourne when it closed. It was fun to go there, you had Dog’s and Suds and Jerry’s Pizza Palace across the street to get food before or after the films.
Addendum: Palms 8 Theater was purchased by the City of Melbourne in 2001 and razed for redevelopment within that same year. Fred— Supposedly this was a “Kent” theater in a chain. There was a Satellite Beach Kent, and the three others were “NASA”, “BREVARD” and “PALMS 5”. I am not sure which name this one carried. Probably one of the latter two.
Was this ever a Womecto theater?