28°32′35″N 81°22′46″W / 28.543°N 81.379472°W
| Beacham Theatre | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Exterior of venue (c.2016) | |
 | |
| Former names | Beacham Theatre (1921–1976; 2011–present) Great Southern Music Hall (1976–81) |
| General information | |
| Type | Theater |
| Architectural style | Commercial, Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival |
| Address | 46 N Orange Ave Orlando, FL 32801-2419 |
| Completed | December 9, 1921 |
| Renovated | 1936, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 |
| Client | Braxton Beacham Sr. |
| Owner | Beacham Theatre, LLC. (Missy Casscells and Frank Hamby) |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | 145 feet (44 m) across x 213.5 feet (65.1 m) deep |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reinforced concrete and brick with stucco out-surface |
| Floor area | 30,965 square foot (2,876.7 m2) |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 1,250 |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
The Beacham Theatre is a cinema built in 1921 by Braxton Beacham Sr. in the city of Orlando, Florida. The current address of the theater is 46 North Orange Avenue, and it is located at the southwest corner of Orange Avenue and Washington Street. The building's current lack of impressive architecture is offset by its significant cultural history.[1][2][3][4] The Beacham Theatre was considered an important contributing structure when the Downtown Orlando historic district was created in 1980 and the building was granted local landmark status in 1987.[5]
The Beacham was once part of the vaudeville circuit and hosted celebrity acts such as John Philip Sousa, the Ziegfeld Follies and W.C. Fields, whose signature was once visible inside a dressing room. In the eras of silent film and Classical Hollywood cinema, the Beacham was operated as a movie theater that used then-current state-of-the-art motion picture technology.
The Beacham, as it is currently named, has since been used as a series of concert venues and nightclubs thus saving it from demolition. The Beacham Theatre was once home to the internationally recognized[6] late-night underground discotheque Aahz, a notable early component of the US electronic dance music movement in the early 1990s.[7]
- ^ Dezern, Craig (February 28, 1988). "Conflict Now Playing At Beacham Owner: Destroy It – Activists: Save It". orlandosentinel.com. The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
But when preservationists look, they see a landmark. Square columns adorned with feathered capitals climb gracefully to a high ceiling decorated with rectangles of intricate plasterwork. An orchestra pit and the gentle slope of the auditorium floor wait, covered by modern alterations. The debate between progress and preservation has played in old theaters throughout the South, and sometimes preservation has won. But for every theater saved, two more meet the wrecking ball. The Beacham soon may join the fallen theaters. Juarez, a developer and political consultant, has applied for permission to tear down the building at 46 N. Orange Ave., and the Beacham lacks key elements that saved movie palaces in Tampa, Atlanta and Lakeland. Impressive architecture is one of those elements.
- ^ Blumenstyk, Goldie (February 10, 1988). "Beacham: The End Or A Full New Show?". orlandosentinel.com. The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
- ^ Wilkening, David (February 1988). "Can they save the Beacham?". Orlando Magazine – via City of Orlando Historic Preservation, Beacham File.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Berry1992was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Beacham Theatre," City of Orlando, Historic Preservation Board
- ^ Benson, Richard (May 1994). "Renaissance men". The Face. 2 (68): 74–79.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Fergusonjuly22013was invoked but never defined (see the help page).