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| Historic
Site List |
Parks
Locations |
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| Location:
West of Main Street on Pineapple Ave. |
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The
Edward's Theatre, the dream of Sarasota County's native son
and the City's first Mayor, Arthur B. Edwards, dedicated himself
to the proposition that a modern city be built on the shores
of Sarasota Bay. He was born October 2, 1874, and died November
15, 1969. He served the community as County Road Supervisor
and first Tax Assessor. In the business world he was active
in Insurance, Real Estate, promotion of winter tourism, banking
and Abstract of Title records.
This building of Mediterranean Revival Style Architecture was
designed by Lloyd A. Benjamin to accommodate the many varieties
of entertainment available at the time: silent movies, vaudeville,
and opera. The best offered by film and stage was features here
through the last of theRoaring Twenties" and the early
thirties, from Grand Opera to "The Zeigfield Follies,"
and minstrel shows. Among others, the well-known star Will Rogers
appeared upon the stage. Later in the mid-fifties a rising young
singer, Elvis Presly, appeared.
In
December 1936, the name was changed to "The Florida Theatre,"
which name was kept until the closing the early seventies. The
"Edwards" is now the home of the "Asolo Opera
Guild."
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