Auditorium Theatre
107 S. Massachusetts Avenue,
Lakeland,
FL
33801
107 S. Massachusetts Avenue,
Lakeland,
FL
33801
No one has favorited this theater yet
Additional Info
Nearby Theaters
W.B. Kennedy and W.S. Hull began constructing the Auditorium Theatre on August 14, 1912 and opened its doors on November 6, 1912 with a live presentation of “The Rosary” (not the Francis X. Bushman movie with the same name that was circulating at the time). Despite its grand opening being successful, the theater itself was nearly completed at the time.
On June 4, 1915 it was presenting a “Moose Minstrel” but unfortunately the theater was saved from a possible collapse following heavy rainfall that struck through Lakeland two months later in early-August 1915. The warning reported that the northeast corner developed gaping cracks as well as immediate danger that it would come down at any moment. Luckily enough, contractors began working on the building throughout the following few weeks, before reopening as a special events theater. It was still open in 1926.
Contributed by
50sSNIPES
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.
Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
The 1913 Sanborn map of Lakeland shows the Auditorium at 311 S. Massachusetts Avenue.
Addresses in Lakeland have been changed since 1913. The modern address for the Auditorium Theatre would be about 107 S. Massachusetts. This site is now a small park jutting into Mirror Lake at the east end of Main Street. The Auditorium once closed the view east on Main Street.
Although it had been open only intermittently for some time, the Auditorium was active at least as late as 1926, when the August 26 issue of The Billboard said that vaudeville and roadshows would be presented at the house while a new theater was under construction elsewhere in town. The Auditorium was also available for conventions and for entertainments given by local organizations, according to the Lakeland Amusement Company.
Movies are still shown at the Auditorium in 1922, so I’m very sure films are still running at the Auditorium in 1926 as well.