A recent visit to the County official who issues permits has revealed that thus far, no permit has been requested by the City for the neighboring property. It is our hope that the City of Port ST. Joe is considering a change of mind regarding the neighboring project!
more information may be obtained by going online to the local newspaper’s website: www.starfl.com and searching for archival references to the Port Theatre will bring up several articles about the theatre from the last few years. The paper’s archival copies found on their premises hold a deep wealth of information about the Theatre, including ads of movies playing, all through to the mid 1990’s when we purchased the building and began our renovations. The Star was very supportive and featured detailed articles back then, though those are not on the internet at this time.
We spoke with the Building Department again yesterday at greater length, and at this point in time, a permit has not YET been requested by the City. Apparently plans are either slow to move through the process, or some of our concerns are being considered. Things remain in limbo.
Wish I could attend to see it! Sounds like a great idea. We are having an event in our building, too far away from yours, on Friday so there’s just no way. Good luck!
Wish someone had a photo! I think I remember seeing movies here in my teen years, late 60’s. Shame it burned. Much speculation has gone on regarding the multitude of theatre fires back then. History has many viewpoints.
I remember this theatre! I was young, it was the 60’s, and this place was awesome! If I’m not mistaken, I saw Cleopatra and Paint your Wagon here, but it’s been so many years ago, it’s hard to remember. Kansas City was blessed with several nice theatres when I was growing up. This was one of the best. I remember the stars on the ceiling! I’ll have to stop by when I get back to K.C. someday.
May you have success in all your endeavors, Grant. My husband and I purchased a building (see the Port Theatre in Port St. Joe, FL) that was in terrible condition when we purchased it. It had been vacant for almost 30 years at that point, and had lost most of its roof ten years prior to our purchase. We gained alot of public support and affection over reversing the condition of the building. It’s still got a long way to go, but meanwhile, it has been a really good home for our business. Sometimes I get a little sad about its restoration taking so long, but I know that in good time, someone else will come along who can take it further than we could (financially). Perhaps one of the reasons developers want theatre properties so much is their typically prime locations. Again, good luck and hope all goes well for you.
I grew up in Kansas City and think I remember attending movies here. I am trying to find the photos referenced above, to refresh my memory. I remember alot of movie theatres in my childhood and sometimes they all blend together some. I would have been rather young when the trouble started there, though. This morning I was looking to see how many theatres are being used as a MUSIC HALL and was surprised to see none, except for symphony and opera. We’ve been thinking our theatre in Port St. Joe, FL would make a great Music Hall!
Update from owner of Port Theatre: We were informed today that the permit process could take some time yet, and we have a small chance of reprieve if the County Building Dept. can find anything that doesn’t meet code in the plans. If allowed to proceed, the Manager’s apartment will no longer have the view it has enjoyed out its windows since the late 1930’s, and a Party Wall Agreement, a restrictive covenant recorded in 1953, will be violated. This would not be the same defeat that a demolition of a theatre building would be, but in light of the fact that it goes against State of Florida recommendations to preserve the historic building, and in light of the fact that there ARE ordinances (City and County) that would indicate protection for the private owner of property (that has recorded restrictions to their deeds as agreed in the past by two parties)it seems that any ruling should be in favor of preservation. We have options available to us, but we were hoping that our three years of effort to be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places would actually help, would mean something to officials. In any case, I love this old building, and still hope someone will come along that wishes to restore it to a performance center. There is much that I wish I could say about this issue, but will refrain at this point in time…..:) If anyone wishes to write an official about this matter, I’d happily provide information. Thanks for listening, and to other theatre owners, good luck with any similar battles you may be facing in the preservation quest.
ultra cool. Our theatre was known for bringing couples together. One couple, local folks, married for over fifty years, met and had their first kiss in our theatre. Theatres are romantic places, can’t change that! Not that anyone would want to. Congrats to the happy couple.
I have sent a letter to your mayor. I will be thinking of you when I face our meeting at the City Council on Tuesday, May 18th. Our battle for preservation is just for the view from the manager’s apartment, and the view from the street of our main building (a project of neighboring property which would violate a party wall agreement limiting height of their walls to one story is being considered for approval) but I can certainly sympathize. Good luck! Keep us all posted!
This building just officially made it back onto the market and the MLS link to the listing follows:
Click Here to View Listings
(I hope that worked….it’s not highlighting for me yet. If it doesn’t work for you, send me an email and I’ll email you the link!)
CURRENT UPDATE: THE CITY OF PORT ST JOE IS MEETING ON TUESDAY MAY 18TH AT 5 PM (PUBLIC WORKSHOP BEFORE 6 PM MEETING) AND THEY ARE DISCUSSING THE ISSUE OF THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY ROOFLINE CHANGE/SECOND STORY ADDITION THAT WOULD BLOCK SOME OF THE MANAGER APT. VIEW, AND THE VIEW OF THE HISTORIC BUILDING FROM THE MAIN STREET, REID AVE, IN PORT ST. JOE. WE HAVE A LETTER FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA, A LEGAL DOCUMENT (PARTY WALL AGREEMENT), SOME COMMUNITY SUPPORT, AS WELL AS OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT HOPEFULLY WILL HELP US PREVAIL. ANYONE WHO WISHES TO OFFER INPUT CAN EMAIL ME FOR INFO AS TO HOW TO CONTACT THE CITY AND VOICE THEIR OPINION. AS A HISTORIC REGISTRY LISTED BUILDING, ANYONE ANYWHERE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A SAY ABOUT THIS, NOT JUST CITY OF PORT ST JOE RESIDENTS, IN MY OPINION. I’LL KEEP POSTING UPDATES ON STATUS.
One last update: the prior buyer we had on this theatre (contract failed to close) spent alot of money on research and plans for the renovation of the building. He expresses continued interest in the building, and might share his information/plans with a new buyer.
Wondering if this is the theatre that had the dollar movies in the 70’s. I went to college at Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood (no longer there now) in 1971 and remember attending a theatre inexpensively once in awhile to break the monotony of working full time and going to school full time. I only lived there for less than a year, transferring to a Kansas college, so didn’t remember the name of the theatre, but this looks like what I remember.
I know the photos make it look like a mess inside, but the building actually has alot of character. We fell in love with its potential when it was full of debris, boarded up and looking its ugliest. It’s sad to think about the quick profit aspect. We had one potential buyer want to put condos in here, three stories of them, and we were heartsick at just the idea. Thankfully, no full price offer was made on that idea, so we had the freedom to say no to such an idea/offer. Had the offer been a full price offer, we would have possibly had liability to pay a commission on the offer, even turning it down. It’s a tough world sometimes; thanks for the encouragement. After we purchased the building in 1995, it took us several months to get the building usable for any purpose at all. It’s sad, to me, to see all the theatres across the country that are getting lost in the process of development. I understand how it can happen, but it grieves me. The reality though, is the highest and best use of a property. Sometimes it just doesn’t pencil for an owner. Our building, should someone come in and more fully restore it, will represent an act of love for theatres; it probably has no hope of penciling out as an “investment”. Certainly, for us, we have taken this building as far as we can. The manager’s apartment is very livable, very nice. But the theatre itself still has alot of needs. We mostly just made it safe – which was a real project. We saved the old reader board (needs restoring), and alot of other movie equipment and misc. that we found. If it looked even halfway restorable, we saved it. I pictured a museum here at one time. We all have poignant memories of attending movies, but few of us have the money to preserve the buildings. We are certainly ready to pass the torch of this race on to another with deeper pockets than we have.
One last thing, the roof was damaged in 1985 by Hurricane Kate. The building was built right. It is a steel building, with (in most places) walls that are four brick thick. The brick was of a special clay and mineral composition that is no longer available. It is a very hard brick, very beautiful, with great color.
6-28-66! Frankie and Johnny was the last movie recorded as played here, according to a booklet we found (water damaged but not destroyed ledger book) We bought it when it had been WITHOUT a roof for TEN YEARS. Actually, we hauled off over 150 ton of debris that had accumulated (two roof systems and old appliances stored in it, etc) before we could even use the building at all. We have been working with someone who has an interest in restoring it further. We also documented with photos the original as best we could, but honestly, you wouldn’t believe the mess it was when we bought it. The City of Port St. Joe had discussed tearing it down. People in the town were eventually thrilled and considered my husband a hero when he got a roof on it (cost three times what we paid for the building!) and began the process of turning it back around. The facade has alot more neon that we have finished, but not installed. We are so excited at the thought of what can/will happen here. Goes to show that when you think it’s too far gone, you can pull something back out of the ashes, so to speak and give it life again!
I believe the link above will take you to the photos…….I tried the search noted in comment before and it pulls up some photos unrelated that are outdated from previous auctions.
You can see a photo of this theatre with the article titled, “One Theater’s Experience with the National Register of Historic Places”
posted by Port Theatre on May 11, 2004 at 9:20am. Also, I have several photos on a website: www.webshots.com , under the user name wadeclarkauctions. I could also send you a direct link to the website, if you have any problems finding our page. It is our hope in the near future to see this building owned by someone who can finance the final restorations needed to put this back into a theatre. Meanwhile, we pay the bills on restoration to date by having a weekly auction in it!
Someone came in our theatre today and mentioned this theatre. She said she loves your Theatre, and always attends a movie there whenever she “goes back home”. I plan to someday visit! I was glad to see you listed on this site!
I know that if you can manage to get it on the National Register of Historic Places, it may help open the doors to grants, and reduced taxes. Don’t give up! My husband and I know how you feel. We struggled alot our first few years with this building, wondering if we were going to lose everything we owned over trying to bring the Port Theatre back to usable condition. We’re at the place where we have taken it as far as we personally can. We ended up with four mortgages on the building until we refinanced into one. It’s worth it, though. I wish I had better info to offer. Persevere and you will bless your city/county. There might be creative ways you can encourage the community to participate in the process and give back to them use of the building for some purpose(s). Wish I had better ideas for you. Good luck.
My husband and I currently live in the Port Theatre’s manager’s apartment. It was built in 1938, and is very Art Deco. Reading this account of another theatre renews my feeling that these buildings have a life of their own. I don’t know if it is related to all the tears and laughter that have come and gone inside the walls of theatres or what, but it’s hard sometimes not to see a theatre building as being alive. I am thankful this site records history for future generations. Thank you Grant for taking the time to share the information. Thanks also to the website creators! A few years back I was searching alot regarding theatre renovations and am amazed at this site. I’ve made it my “homepage”!
A recent visit to the County official who issues permits has revealed that thus far, no permit has been requested by the City for the neighboring property. It is our hope that the City of Port ST. Joe is considering a change of mind regarding the neighboring project!
more information may be obtained by going online to the local newspaper’s website: www.starfl.com and searching for archival references to the Port Theatre will bring up several articles about the theatre from the last few years. The paper’s archival copies found on their premises hold a deep wealth of information about the Theatre, including ads of movies playing, all through to the mid 1990’s when we purchased the building and began our renovations. The Star was very supportive and featured detailed articles back then, though those are not on the internet at this time.
We spoke with the Building Department again yesterday at greater length, and at this point in time, a permit has not YET been requested by the City. Apparently plans are either slow to move through the process, or some of our concerns are being considered. Things remain in limbo.
Wish I could attend to see it! Sounds like a great idea. We are having an event in our building, too far away from yours, on Friday so there’s just no way. Good luck!
Wish someone had a photo! I think I remember seeing movies here in my teen years, late 60’s. Shame it burned. Much speculation has gone on regarding the multitude of theatre fires back then. History has many viewpoints.
I remember this theatre! I was young, it was the 60’s, and this place was awesome! If I’m not mistaken, I saw Cleopatra and Paint your Wagon here, but it’s been so many years ago, it’s hard to remember. Kansas City was blessed with several nice theatres when I was growing up. This was one of the best. I remember the stars on the ceiling! I’ll have to stop by when I get back to K.C. someday.
May you have success in all your endeavors, Grant. My husband and I purchased a building (see the Port Theatre in Port St. Joe, FL) that was in terrible condition when we purchased it. It had been vacant for almost 30 years at that point, and had lost most of its roof ten years prior to our purchase. We gained alot of public support and affection over reversing the condition of the building. It’s still got a long way to go, but meanwhile, it has been a really good home for our business. Sometimes I get a little sad about its restoration taking so long, but I know that in good time, someone else will come along who can take it further than we could (financially). Perhaps one of the reasons developers want theatre properties so much is their typically prime locations. Again, good luck and hope all goes well for you.
I grew up in Kansas City and think I remember attending movies here. I am trying to find the photos referenced above, to refresh my memory. I remember alot of movie theatres in my childhood and sometimes they all blend together some. I would have been rather young when the trouble started there, though. This morning I was looking to see how many theatres are being used as a MUSIC HALL and was surprised to see none, except for symphony and opera. We’ve been thinking our theatre in Port St. Joe, FL would make a great Music Hall!
Update from owner of Port Theatre: We were informed today that the permit process could take some time yet, and we have a small chance of reprieve if the County Building Dept. can find anything that doesn’t meet code in the plans. If allowed to proceed, the Manager’s apartment will no longer have the view it has enjoyed out its windows since the late 1930’s, and a Party Wall Agreement, a restrictive covenant recorded in 1953, will be violated. This would not be the same defeat that a demolition of a theatre building would be, but in light of the fact that it goes against State of Florida recommendations to preserve the historic building, and in light of the fact that there ARE ordinances (City and County) that would indicate protection for the private owner of property (that has recorded restrictions to their deeds as agreed in the past by two parties)it seems that any ruling should be in favor of preservation. We have options available to us, but we were hoping that our three years of effort to be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places would actually help, would mean something to officials. In any case, I love this old building, and still hope someone will come along that wishes to restore it to a performance center. There is much that I wish I could say about this issue, but will refrain at this point in time…..:) If anyone wishes to write an official about this matter, I’d happily provide information. Thanks for listening, and to other theatre owners, good luck with any similar battles you may be facing in the preservation quest.
ultra cool. Our theatre was known for bringing couples together. One couple, local folks, married for over fifty years, met and had their first kiss in our theatre. Theatres are romantic places, can’t change that! Not that anyone would want to. Congrats to the happy couple.
I have sent a letter to your mayor. I will be thinking of you when I face our meeting at the City Council on Tuesday, May 18th. Our battle for preservation is just for the view from the manager’s apartment, and the view from the street of our main building (a project of neighboring property which would violate a party wall agreement limiting height of their walls to one story is being considered for approval) but I can certainly sympathize. Good luck! Keep us all posted!
This building just officially made it back onto the market and the MLS link to the listing follows:
Click Here to View Listings
(I hope that worked….it’s not highlighting for me yet. If it doesn’t work for you, send me an email and I’ll email you the link!)
CURRENT UPDATE: THE CITY OF PORT ST JOE IS MEETING ON TUESDAY MAY 18TH AT 5 PM (PUBLIC WORKSHOP BEFORE 6 PM MEETING) AND THEY ARE DISCUSSING THE ISSUE OF THE NEIGHBORING PROPERTY ROOFLINE CHANGE/SECOND STORY ADDITION THAT WOULD BLOCK SOME OF THE MANAGER APT. VIEW, AND THE VIEW OF THE HISTORIC BUILDING FROM THE MAIN STREET, REID AVE, IN PORT ST. JOE. WE HAVE A LETTER FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA, A LEGAL DOCUMENT (PARTY WALL AGREEMENT), SOME COMMUNITY SUPPORT, AS WELL AS OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT HOPEFULLY WILL HELP US PREVAIL. ANYONE WHO WISHES TO OFFER INPUT CAN EMAIL ME FOR INFO AS TO HOW TO CONTACT THE CITY AND VOICE THEIR OPINION. AS A HISTORIC REGISTRY LISTED BUILDING, ANYONE ANYWHERE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A SAY ABOUT THIS, NOT JUST CITY OF PORT ST JOE RESIDENTS, IN MY OPINION. I’LL KEEP POSTING UPDATES ON STATUS.
One last update: the prior buyer we had on this theatre (contract failed to close) spent alot of money on research and plans for the renovation of the building. He expresses continued interest in the building, and might share his information/plans with a new buyer.
WONDERFUL! Looks spectacular! Looks like a job well done!
It’s always good news to hear about successful renovations. Good luck.
Cool building! What a project! Happy to read about it. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Yours is an encouraging story! I grew up in Kansas, and it is good to know that my home state is strong in historical preservation. Congratulations!
Wondering if this is the theatre that had the dollar movies in the 70’s. I went to college at Immaculate Heart College in Hollywood (no longer there now) in 1971 and remember attending a theatre inexpensively once in awhile to break the monotony of working full time and going to school full time. I only lived there for less than a year, transferring to a Kansas college, so didn’t remember the name of the theatre, but this looks like what I remember.
I know the photos make it look like a mess inside, but the building actually has alot of character. We fell in love with its potential when it was full of debris, boarded up and looking its ugliest. It’s sad to think about the quick profit aspect. We had one potential buyer want to put condos in here, three stories of them, and we were heartsick at just the idea. Thankfully, no full price offer was made on that idea, so we had the freedom to say no to such an idea/offer. Had the offer been a full price offer, we would have possibly had liability to pay a commission on the offer, even turning it down. It’s a tough world sometimes; thanks for the encouragement. After we purchased the building in 1995, it took us several months to get the building usable for any purpose at all. It’s sad, to me, to see all the theatres across the country that are getting lost in the process of development. I understand how it can happen, but it grieves me. The reality though, is the highest and best use of a property. Sometimes it just doesn’t pencil for an owner. Our building, should someone come in and more fully restore it, will represent an act of love for theatres; it probably has no hope of penciling out as an “investment”. Certainly, for us, we have taken this building as far as we can. The manager’s apartment is very livable, very nice. But the theatre itself still has alot of needs. We mostly just made it safe – which was a real project. We saved the old reader board (needs restoring), and alot of other movie equipment and misc. that we found. If it looked even halfway restorable, we saved it. I pictured a museum here at one time. We all have poignant memories of attending movies, but few of us have the money to preserve the buildings. We are certainly ready to pass the torch of this race on to another with deeper pockets than we have.
One last thing, the roof was damaged in 1985 by Hurricane Kate. The building was built right. It is a steel building, with (in most places) walls that are four brick thick. The brick was of a special clay and mineral composition that is no longer available. It is a very hard brick, very beautiful, with great color.
6-28-66! Frankie and Johnny was the last movie recorded as played here, according to a booklet we found (water damaged but not destroyed ledger book) We bought it when it had been WITHOUT a roof for TEN YEARS. Actually, we hauled off over 150 ton of debris that had accumulated (two roof systems and old appliances stored in it, etc) before we could even use the building at all. We have been working with someone who has an interest in restoring it further. We also documented with photos the original as best we could, but honestly, you wouldn’t believe the mess it was when we bought it. The City of Port St. Joe had discussed tearing it down. People in the town were eventually thrilled and considered my husband a hero when he got a roof on it (cost three times what we paid for the building!) and began the process of turning it back around. The facade has alot more neon that we have finished, but not installed. We are so excited at the thought of what can/will happen here. Goes to show that when you think it’s too far gone, you can pull something back out of the ashes, so to speak and give it life again!
View link
I believe the link above will take you to the photos…….I tried the search noted in comment before and it pulls up some photos unrelated that are outdated from previous auctions.
You can see a photo of this theatre with the article titled, “One Theater’s Experience with the National Register of Historic Places”
posted by Port Theatre on May 11, 2004 at 9:20am. Also, I have several photos on a website: www.webshots.com , under the user name wadeclarkauctions. I could also send you a direct link to the website, if you have any problems finding our page. It is our hope in the near future to see this building owned by someone who can finance the final restorations needed to put this back into a theatre. Meanwhile, we pay the bills on restoration to date by having a weekly auction in it!
Someone came in our theatre today and mentioned this theatre. She said she loves your Theatre, and always attends a movie there whenever she “goes back home”. I plan to someday visit! I was glad to see you listed on this site!
I know that if you can manage to get it on the National Register of Historic Places, it may help open the doors to grants, and reduced taxes. Don’t give up! My husband and I know how you feel. We struggled alot our first few years with this building, wondering if we were going to lose everything we owned over trying to bring the Port Theatre back to usable condition. We’re at the place where we have taken it as far as we personally can. We ended up with four mortgages on the building until we refinanced into one. It’s worth it, though. I wish I had better info to offer. Persevere and you will bless your city/county. There might be creative ways you can encourage the community to participate in the process and give back to them use of the building for some purpose(s). Wish I had better ideas for you. Good luck.
My husband and I currently live in the Port Theatre’s manager’s apartment. It was built in 1938, and is very Art Deco. Reading this account of another theatre renews my feeling that these buildings have a life of their own. I don’t know if it is related to all the tears and laughter that have come and gone inside the walls of theatres or what, but it’s hard sometimes not to see a theatre building as being alive. I am thankful this site records history for future generations. Thank you Grant for taking the time to share the information. Thanks also to the website creators! A few years back I was searching alot regarding theatre renovations and am amazed at this site. I’ve made it my “homepage”!