Jacksonville's San Marco Theatre announces closing plans

Jacksonville's Art Deco San Marco Theatre is planning to close at year's end.

"Dear friends and neighbors," reads a post on the theater's Facebook page. "After eighty-four and a half years, the San Marco Theatre will permanently close its doors on New Year's Day. It's with sad and heavy hearts that we share this news with our San Marco community and the city of Jacksonville. We all have a lot of memories of this place and we'll miss it."

There is no notice of the closing on the theater's website, but it lists no movies showing past Dec. 31. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Love Actually" are showing. The final screenings listed on the site are at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

History:Paul Sorvino shot his last movie in Jacksonville. It debuts Saturday in San Marco.

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The theater was one of the last in Jacksonville to reopen after the pandemic shutdown and was the site for the Southeast Regional Film Festival in September, where "Ride" — actor Paul Sorvino's last film — made its debut.

The theater was built in 1938 by architect Roy Benjamin, who also designed the downtown Florida Theatre and the since-demolished Riverside, Imperial, Palace and Arcade theaters. It opened on July 4, 1938, featuring the double bill of “Hopalong Cassidy Rides Again” and Edward G. Robinson in “A Slight Case of Murder.”

Jacksonville City Council Member LeAnna Cumber, who represents the San Marco area, said she was a regular at the theater.

"We’ve been taking our kids to the theater since they were born," she said. "My husband and I go on dates at the theaters. It’s a staple of San Marco."

She said she's spoken with the building's owners, who have promised to maintain its Art Deco facade. The city has no role in redeveloping the property, she said.

"It’s a private building in the square," Cumber said. "I have full confidence in the owners of the building that they are going to keep the building and the facade as is. They understand the importance of the building to the square and to the neighborhood."

The San Marco is known for its old-school feel and for a snack bar that goes well beyond the usual popcorn and Skittles. Moviegoers can order pizza, a charcuterie board, beer or wine.

The twin-screen theater is featured in "Popcorn Palaces: The Art Deco Movie Theater Paintings of Davis Cone," a collection of painting of similar theaters around the country that was published in 2001.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's San Marco Theatre announces closing plans