The Vero Theatre (also known as the Florida Theatre or Theatre Plaza) is a historic

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Located at 2036 14th Avenue, the Vero Theatre was designed in the

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...

style by architect F.H. Trimble. It opened on October 14, 1924, as the city's first motion picture theater with its first feature film being the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The theatre became the center of the fight to remove Indian River from St. Lucie County as a result of local blue laws prohibiting Sunday film viewing. Governor

John W. Martin John Wellborn Martin (June 21, 1884 – February 22, 1958) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Florida, 24th Governor of Florida, from 1925 to 1929. He also served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Mayor of Jacksonville, Flo ...

created Indian River County in the theatre in May 1925. On April 28, 1992, it was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The Theatre closed in 1985 when other multiplex theatres opened nearby. The last film shown was Desperately Seeking Susan. The building is one of the few remaining structures of the original downtown. It is currently vacant, though there have been numerous attempts made to renovate the structure. The last attempt at renovation was done by developer Robert L. Brackett. His attempts were halted by the storms of the

2004 Atlantic hurricane season The 2004 Atlantic hurricane season was a very deadly, destructive, and extremely active Atlantic hurricane season, with over 3,200 deaths and more than $61 billion (2004 USD, $95.77 billion 2022 USD) in damage. More than half of the 16 ...

References

External links

Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
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Indian River County listings
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Famous Floridians of Vero Beach

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The Theatre Plaza Website
National Register of Historic Places in Indian River County, Florida Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Buildings and structures in Vero Beach, Florida Theatres completed in 1924 1924 establishments in Florida {{US-theat-struct-stub