Polk Theatre
The Polk Theatre was built during a golden age in the United States - the stock market had yet to crash ( though the boom had ended in Florida) and the clouds of World War II were not yet on the horizon. Even so, it was quite a leap of faith to build a vaudeville/movie palace in Lakeland in 1928. The population hovered at only 15,000 people and it was a rural community.
Lakeland businessman John E. Melton (whose developments include Cleveland Heights and the eighteen-hole golf course and country club adjoining the area) planned a Polk County first - a multipurpose building anchored by a grand movie palace. Street front office and retail space would bring in the revenue needed to build the theatre. However, it was difficult to borrow large sums of money for new construction in post-boom Lakeland, and Melton was forced to sell the uncompleted theatre portion of his building to the Publix Theatre Corporation for approximately $300,000.
So build it they did, and it was a place of magic and wonder! The architect, J.E. Casale, an Italian-born immigrant, recreated a Mediterranean village in the heart of Central Florida. Flanked by Italianate walls with niches, sconces, and faux balconies and windows, the patron's eye was drawn toward the stage and the full scale Italian renaissance "townhouse" setting that dominates the Polk's interior.
The mezzanine lobby, accessible by ornately tiled staircases, featured twisted columns, delicate cornice and molding work, and brass banded terrazzo floors.
All of this splendor sat under the watchful eye of a starry ceiling. Painted a deep, royal blue, it fascinated patrons with its twinkling stars and sunrise/sunset effect. Because this simulated a natural setting, it was called an "atmospheric" theatre.
Imagine the awe this Theatre must have inspired in people who were not well traveled as today, Few would have ever seen Italian villas, and to walk in off the street and be immediately transported to such a place would have seemed marvelous. From the twinkling stars and puffy clouds in the high ceiling to the elaborate, colorful proscenium, the Polk Theatre was truly a miraculous place!
The two most impressive technological features of the Polk were the theatre's 100 ton air wash system to chill the air, and its Vitaphone sound on reel film system. The air conditioning system was such a drain on the city's power supply that during its early years of operation it caused lights to dim all across town when turned on. It also required an operator to turn it on and off. When it became too cold, an usher ran down to the basement to tell the operator to shut the system down.
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