Florida Theatre Performing Art in Jacksonville, FL

The Florida Theatre Performing Art in Jacksonville, Florida has been in existence since 1927 and promotes itself as "Jacksonville's premier entertainment center."

It started out by offering silent films and now offers 200 cultural and entertainment events very year that include ballet, opera, contemporary pop, jazz, rock, and country and blues.

Graduations, award ceremonies, lectures, business meeting and charity events have also been held in the Florida Theatre Performing Art. The facility has also hosted many events that support businesses and non-profits in the community such as civic groups, churches, schools and hospitals.

The theater is credited with drawing 250,000 people to Jacksonville's center every year. The theater is recognized as "one of the finest concert venues in the Southeast," and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The theater originally opened its doors on April 8, 1927 as Jackson's 15th and largest movie theater. It is currently only one of four high-style movie palaces remaining that was built during this era in Florida.

In 1956 Elvis Presley performed at the Florida Theater. It was his first concert performance on an indoor stage. A Juvenile Court Judge, Marion Gooding, sat through the entire performance to make sure Presley's dancing didn't become too suggestive.

The theater was closed from the early 1970s to the early 1980s, but reopened again in 1983 after major restoration thanks to the community's investment in saving what it considered to be a historic treasure.

Since then more than 4,000 different events have taken place there. Almost 3.8 million people have attended these events. Sixty percent of the theaters use has been by local non-profit organizations.