Newly Restored Florida Theatre Debuts in Jacksonville

According to Jacksonville Today, the Florida Theatre has reopened following four months of restoration work.

Original restoration work was approved way back in 1981, Jacksonville Today reports, with plans to turn the old movie theater into cultural and civic venue. Attorney Eric Smith was on Jacksonville’s city council at that time and was on hand to see the unveiling of the renovated facility last Friday, declaring the building to be “absolutely gorgeous.”

“Everything is painted to look as beautiful and sparkling as it must have looked when Elvis was here [in 1956],” Smith told Jacksonville Today. “A lot of private citizens came forward to make this happen, and it is really one of Jacksonville’s treasures—and I am proud to be a small part of it.”

The restoration work reportedly cost the city $8 million. Check out the article to learn and see more.