Imogene Theatre

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The Imogene Theatre is a historical site that is still used today by the community of Milton. This timeless piece of history has a museum on its first floor where you can experience the long and rough past of the theatre and how it survived a fire. Then as you make your way to the second floor, you reach the theatre where many events are held. Some of the events include swing dancing and jazz concerts. This small two story theatre is a great place for family fun and learning with a great location for community outreach to the public.

Images

Building, Purple, Entertainment, Interior design

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The Imogene Theatre is a small timely open stage theatre that was open in October of 1913 by the president of Milton's First National Bank. The president decided to open this new auditorium because four years prior to opening it, there was a great fire that destroyed most of Milton's commercial district and the president felt a new auditorium was necessary. When the building first opened it was titled the Milton Opera House. The early shows that made it to the opera house were mostly made up of traveling shows and silent moving pictures, the very first being The Passion Play, a depiction of the life of Christ. By 1921, the opera house was bought out by Mr. Gooch and was renamed the Imogene Theatre, after his younger daughter. Sadly, Mr. Gooch died months after the purchase but the name stuck.

By 1938, the Imogene Theatre became the first building in Milton to have central air conditioning. With the increasing amounts of technology, the creation of sound and color films, the Imogene projected its screens with classic movies. Some of the popular being Gone With the Wind and the Wizard of Oz. While these pictures were being shown upstairs, the first floor was being used as a retail space and was even home the the Milton Post Office for about 30 years. The theatre closed down years later in 1946 when a newer theatre was opened up down the road and the first floor became vacant in 1980.

In the years to follow, the Imogene Theatre had become old and decrepit. With a failing roof and plaster peeling of the building, it looked like an end to the once great theatre. But, in 1985 the building was purchased by the Santa Rosa Historical Society. The building was then restored by the historical society, with the help of some state grants, and was reopened in 1987.

After almost 100 years after the original fire that inspired the creation of the theatre, Downtown Milton was struck with another fire that badly damaged the theatre in 2009. Luckily with the help of over seven fire departments, the fire was put out and the the building was saved. Many saw this fire as a blessing, as it gave the historical society a chance to properly restore the theatre to how it looked when if first opened.

Since the the Imogene has been fully restored and is open to the public. The first floor of the theatre is now utilized as a museum that tells of all the hardships and wonders that the theatre had faced in the past. The second for is still used as a theatre with many different events. The Imogene now hosts swing dancing events, high school jazz concerts that are open to the public, and even some movie nights. This small two story theatre is a great place for family fun and can even be rented out for private events. Located in the center of downtown Milton and across the street from the Blackwater River, the theatre is the perfect place for community outreach and entertainment.

Sources

Imogene Theatre. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2021, from http://cinematreasures.org/theatres/26861

This source explains the buildings history of when it was built, the changing of owners, and the destruction and remodeling due to a fire.

Imogene theatre history. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://santarosahistoricalsociety.com/Imogene-theatre-preservation-fund/history/

This source explains how the theatre came to have the name Imogene, it’s advances in cinema technology in Milton, and the financial troubles it faced.

The Imogene Theatre. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/TheImogeneTheatre/

This source is an up to date page on events being hosted at the Imogene Theatre.

Photos: The historic Imogene Theatre remains downtown Milton's centerpiece. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/2021/02/09/why-miltons-imogene-theatre-still-sale-one-year-later/4438026001/

This source has photos from the renovations of the fire that struck the theatre.

Back to Life: The Imogene Theatre. (2017, December 14). Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://www.pbs.org/video/back-to-life-the-imogene-theatre-yswuao/

A PBS instudio video of the Imogene Theater and the history it holds.