 The historic Polk Theatre | |
 Interactive map of Polk Theatre | |
| Address | 121 S Florida Ave, Lakeland, Florida |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28°02′36″N81°57′26″W / 28.0432°N 81.9572°W |
| Owner | Private |
| Type | Atmospheric |
| Capacity | 1,400 |
| Current use | Performance Theatre |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Architect | J.E. Casale |
| Website | |
| http://www.polktheatre.org | |
Polk Theatre and Office Building | |
   | |
| Location | 121 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, Florida |
| Coordinates | 28°2′35″N81°57′28″W / 28.04306°N 81.95778°W |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | James E. Casale, George A. Miller |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 93000446 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 27, 1993 |
The Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Florida is a historic theater located at 121 South Florida Avenue.
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The 1,400-seat theatre was built in 1928 after the local business "boom" of the town had ended and despite the fact that the population was only 15,000 inhabitants. In 1982, a group of concerned people banded together to save the theatre from being razed due to low attendance. Local citizens formed a non-profit group, borrowed money, secured a grant from the state, and purchased the theatre for $300,000. [2] The theatre has a mezzanine, a high balcony, a permanent backdrop of a "Venetian piazza," an orchestra pit, a ceiling against which images of twinkling stars are projected, and terrazzo flooring. The air-conditioning system, which was the first in the county,[ clarification needed ] was a pump that used artesian well water to chill the building. [3]
Under the name Polk Theatre and Office Building, the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1993. [1]
