Alden Theatre

Main Street,
Safety Harbor, FL 34695

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on December 21, 2014 at 5:20 pm

high_performance_76 is correct about the 1932 reopening of the Alden Theatre as a movie house. An item in the “Satety Harbor” column of the April 20, 1932, issue of the St.Petersburg Evening Independent says that the Alden Theatre was to reopen on May 2. The house had not shown movies for two years. An April 1 item in the same paper indicated that the house had never been equipped for sound.

The theater had not been entirely dark for the entire two years though. It hosted at least a few live events. The March 19 St. Petersburg Times said that a “good crowd” had attended a performance of the Chick Dramatic Company at the Alden Theatre the previous Tuesday. The December 23 issue of the Evening Independent reported a benefit at the Alden featuring a “…Biblical topic…illustrated by slides….” followed by musical selections and specialties by local talent. A play put on by the local chapter of the Eastern Star drew a full house at the Alden, according to the March 2, 1931, Evening Independent. A number of other such events were reported by the newspapers during this period.

high_performance_76
high_performance_76 on December 21, 2014 at 12:36 pm

That is not true. It was built in late 1924, opened around 1925, and closed by 1930. It was RE opened in 1932. The photo posted above is from 1925.

Seaellsea
Seaellsea on July 24, 2013 at 10:07 am

216 Philippe Parkway, Safety Harbor, FL 34695 Now a parking lot. I went there a couple of times when I was about 12. Closed soon after.

AndyCallahanMajorMajor
AndyCallahanMajorMajor on August 25, 2010 at 7:00 pm

That’s the State Archives, for ya! Turns out it opened in 1932.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on August 25, 2010 at 5:39 pm

Nice photo MajorMajor.