Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville)
Encyclopedia
LaVilla, Jacksonville, Florida
LaVilla is a neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida and former independent city, located just west of downtown. Jacksonville's first suburb, it was annexed by the city in 1887. It is primarily an African-American neighborhood, and its northern section was considered "the mecca for African American...
neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. The theater, which seats 426, is used for a variety of music, dance and theatrical productions, as well as movies. The spacious lobby is also used for private functions. Just off the lobby is the LaVilla Museum
LaVilla Museum
The LaVilla Museum is a museum of African American history and culture located in the 1929 Ritz Theater in Jacksonville, Florida.-External links:*...
which holds
11000 square feet (1,021.9 m²) of exhibits. LaVilla is considered "the mecca for African American culture and heritage" in Florida.
History
The Ritz Theater was designed in the Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style by local architect Jefferson Powell and constructed in 1929.
LaVilla had a thriving, vibrant culture from 1921–1971, when it was known as the "Harlem of the South". From the 1970s, the entertainment district of LaVilla went into decline and crime increased, but Mayor Ed Austin's River City Renaissance
River City Renaissance
River City Renaissance was a $235 million bond issue in 1993 by the city of Jacksonville, Florida which funded urban renewal in some of downtown's most rundown sections.-Plan:...
plan included $4.2 million to renovate the theatre and museum. The groundbreaking for the project was in 1998, and the pair were reopened on September 30, 1999. The sign and northwest corner are all that remain of the original building.