Riverside Theater (Jacksonville)
Encyclopedia
5 Points Theatre, formerly known as Riverside Theater, is a movie theater
located in the Five Points
area of Jacksonville, Florida
. The theatre first opened in March 1927 at the height of development of Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood. The theater was the first in the state, and third in the country, equipped to show talking pictures
.
The first "talkie" shown was Don Juan
, starring John Barrymore
and Mary Astor
. Admission was $1.10, an expensive ticket considering the prevailing wage
was less than a quarter per hour.
, designed the theater building in the Italian Renaissance
style, along with more than 200 theaters throughout Florida and the southeast United States including Downtown Jacksonville's Florida Theatre
.
The building was remodeled in 1949 and renamed the Five Points Theater when the marquee
was added, which remains to this day. The theater closed for several years in 1977 and an attempt was made to "modernize" the building in 1978 with the application of stucco. Beginning in the early 1980s, the facility was utilized first as the River City Playhouse for theatrical performances, then in 1991 as a nightclub, known as Club 5, but it too closed after the millennium. A four year, $4.5 million historic restoration was begun in 2004 after local car dealer Mike Shad purchased the property. Midway through the renovations, the facility was opened for private events like reunions and wedding receptions, but work was not completed until 2008. The renamed 5 Points Theatre and Historic Event Facility now offers 14 loft condominiums on the third and fourth floors, commercial/office space on the second level and retail space on the ground floor, in addition to the theater. Although the marquee was not original, it was also restored because it is considered a historic component.
In 2010 the Theatre shifted to an "art house" format, with foreign, independent and classic films, late night movies, and special events and concerts. The Theatre was a venue for the 2009 and 2010 Jacksonville Film Festival
s, the 2009 and 2010 Citrus Cel Animation Festival, and has hosted its own Horror Film Festival as well.
In 2011 movie theater entrepreneur Tim Massett raised funds to take over and renovate the venue. Massett raised $102,450 via online crowdsourcing
and private loans. The improvements will include a larger screen, sound dampening, and tiered theater seats. The venue will be renamed the Sun-Ray Cinema at 5 Points Theatre, and is scheduled to re-open in December 2011.
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
located in the Five Points
Five Points (Jacksonville)
Five Points is a small local commerce and entertainment district in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. This area is considered one of the most concentrated commercial developments from the 1910s and 1920s of the Riverside District. Numerous individually owned bars, cafes, music...
area of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. The theatre first opened in March 1927 at the height of development of Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood. The theater was the first in the state, and third in the country, equipped to show talking pictures
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
.
The first "talkie" shown was Don Juan
Don Juan (1926 film)
Don Juan is a Warner Brothers film, directed by Alan Crosland. It was the first feature-length film with synchronized Vitaphone sound effects and musical soundtrack, though it has no spoken dialogue...
, starring John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
and Mary Astor
Mary Astor
Mary Astor was an American actress. Most remembered for her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart, Astor began her long motion picture career as a teenager in the silent movies of the early 1920s.She eventually made a successful transition to talkies, but almost...
. Admission was $1.10, an expensive ticket considering the prevailing wage
Prevailing wage
In government contracting, a prevailing wage is defined as the hourly wage, usual benefits and overtime, paid to the majority of workers, laborers, and mechanics within a particular area. Prevailing wages are established by regulatory agencies for each trade and occupation employed in the...
was less than a quarter per hour.
History
Roy Benjamin, whose architectural firm eventually became KBJ ArchitectsKBJ Architects
KBJ Architects, Inc. is an American architectural firm based in Jacksonville, Florida. The firm designed 17 of the city's 30 tallest buildings and "created Jacksonville's modern skyline", according to The Florida Times-Union newspaper. The firm designed the first high-rise in downtown...
, designed the theater building in the Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
style, along with more than 200 theaters throughout Florida and the southeast United States including Downtown Jacksonville's Florida Theatre
Florida Theatre
The Florida Theatre is a historic U.S. movie theater in Jacksonville, Florida. The theatre is one of only four remaining high-style movie palaces built in Florida during the Mediterranean Revival architectural boom of the 1920s .It is located at 128 through 134 East...
.
The building was remodeled in 1949 and renamed the Five Points Theater when the marquee
Marquee (sign)
A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue...
was added, which remains to this day. The theater closed for several years in 1977 and an attempt was made to "modernize" the building in 1978 with the application of stucco. Beginning in the early 1980s, the facility was utilized first as the River City Playhouse for theatrical performances, then in 1991 as a nightclub, known as Club 5, but it too closed after the millennium. A four year, $4.5 million historic restoration was begun in 2004 after local car dealer Mike Shad purchased the property. Midway through the renovations, the facility was opened for private events like reunions and wedding receptions, but work was not completed until 2008. The renamed 5 Points Theatre and Historic Event Facility now offers 14 loft condominiums on the third and fourth floors, commercial/office space on the second level and retail space on the ground floor, in addition to the theater. Although the marquee was not original, it was also restored because it is considered a historic component.
In 2010 the Theatre shifted to an "art house" format, with foreign, independent and classic films, late night movies, and special events and concerts. The Theatre was a venue for the 2009 and 2010 Jacksonville Film Festival
Jacksonville Film Festival
The Jacksonville Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded in 2002, the festival screens dozens of the hundreds of films submitted for its consideration...
s, the 2009 and 2010 Citrus Cel Animation Festival, and has hosted its own Horror Film Festival as well.
In 2011 movie theater entrepreneur Tim Massett raised funds to take over and renovate the venue. Massett raised $102,450 via online crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
and private loans. The improvements will include a larger screen, sound dampening, and tiered theater seats. The venue will be renamed the Sun-Ray Cinema at 5 Points Theatre, and is scheduled to re-open in December 2011.