Monday, November 9, 2015

BEACHAM'S THEATRE, 48 N. Orange Ave., Orlando -- Braxton Beacham -- Beacham bought the property at the southwest corner of Orange Ave. and Washington St. in 1971.

Speranza


The Beacham Theater
Beacham Theater is located in Florida
Beacham Theater
Location within Florida
Alternative namesThe Beacham
General information
StatusUsed as a nightclub
TypeTheater
Architectural styleMesh of Mediterranean and art deco themes
Address46 North Orange Avenue
Town or cityOrlando, Florida
CountryUnited States


CompletedDecember 9, 1921
Renovated1936, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1991,
ClientBraxton Beacham Sr.
Dimensions
Other dimensions145 feet (44 m) across x 213.5 feet (65.1 m) deep
Technical details
Structural systemReinforced concrete and brick with stucco out-surface
Floor area30,965 square foot (2,876.7 m2)
Design and construction
ArchitectUnknown, likely Murray S. King






























Beacham Theater, is a historic venue in the city of OrlandoFlorida

Its current address is 46 North Orange Avenue. 

The theater was built by Braxton Beacham Sr. at the site of the former jail for Orange County. 

Beacham bought the property at the southwest corner of Orange Ave. and Washington St. in 1917. 

The jail was torn down and he developed a series of connected buildings known as the "Beacham Block." 

On December 9, 1921 Orlando's premier vaudeville and movie house opened as the Beacham Theatre. Beacham's theater was leased to the Sparks Theater Company in 1922. 

Vitaphone and Movietone sound system "talkie" equipment was added in 1928 and by 1933 Florida State Theaters had taken over the lease. 

The Beacham Theater ceased operations as a movie theater in 1975 and briefly became franchises of The Great Southern Music Hall and Reynold's Celebrity Dinner Theater. 

The Beacham Theater was granted local historic landmark status on September 21, 1987.

The Beacham as it is currently named, has operated as series of nightclubs and was home to the legendary club AAHZ. House Music and all-night underground dance parties throughout the late-80's and early 1990's held at the Beacham during the Second Summer of Love gave rise to Florida breaks, also known as the "Orlando Sound" and ushered in the popularity of electronic dance music in the United States.[2]

References[edit]

  1. Jump up^ Patrizio, Ron (August 23, 1987). "Historic Label No Guarantee Beacham Theater's Owner May Raze Old Downtown Building For New One"orlandosentinel.com. The Orlando Sentinel. RetrievedNovember 5, 2015The Beacham Theater has served as a city hall, vaudeville playhouse and movie theater. In 1975, it closed as a movie theater and reopened a year later as the Great Southern Music Hall. It finally closed as the Celebrity Dinner Theater in January.
  2. Jump up^ Gettelman, Parry (February 9, 1997). "The Orlando Sound Although Hard To Define, It's Hot Among Lovers Of Underground Dance Music"orlandosentinel.com. The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 5, 2015Orlando club kids first encountered the style in the late '80s at the old Beacham Theatre ... on Orange Avenue where DJs such as Kimball Collins, Dave Cannalte, Chris Fortier and Andy Hughes got their start at Aahz dance nights.

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