Edwards Theatre
Edwards Theatre | |
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| Location | Sarasota, Florida |
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| Added to NRHP | March 22, 1984 |
The Edwards Theatre (now known as the Sarasota Opera House) is an historic theater located at 57 North Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The vision of a local man, A. B. Edwards, it originally opened in April 10, 1926 with an elaborate three-story entrance containing shops and apartments, while the theater's auditorium contained an orchestral pipe organ.
Today, the theater is owned by and is the home of the Sarasota Opera and it seats 1,033.
In the 1920s, it quicky became a popular entertainment venue with major performers of the day, such as Will Rogers (in 1927) and the Ziegfeld Follies (1928), and Elvis Presley (1956), appearing there. Also, it became a movie theater when it presented the world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth (which had been filmed in Sarasota) attended by its stars Charlton Heston and Dorothy Lamour.
Over the years, managements changed as did the name of the theater: at one point it became "The Florida Theater" and, in 1936, a hurricane damaged the Rogers Morton pipe organ, while various attempts to modernize removed most of its original Art Deco. It became a full-time movie theater, but, finally, in 1973, it closed.
However, opera was beginning to be presented in Sarasota by a non-profit organization, the Asolo Opera Guild, which presented small-scale operas from out of town in the 320-seat Asolo Theater. By 1974, they had begun to produce their own operas. In 1979, the Guild bought the old Edwards Theater for $150,000. Needing major renovations to restore the house and to accommodate the demands of opera, the Association began renovations in 1982, the result of which was that the new Sarasota Opera House appeared on the National Register of Historic Places in March, 1984.
The Sarasota Opera has established a firm reputation within the U.S. and presents a major 4-opera season each February/March/April. Further renovations between the 2007 and 2008 seasons will lead to a significantly-enhanced opera theater in time for 2008 presentations.