2nd quarter 2009           

Restored Athens Theatre brings history to life in downtown DeLand

An ambitious, multi-year restoration project has returned the elegant Athens Theatre in downtown DeLand to its original grandeur, although the renovation discreetly has incorporated state-of-the-art conveniences and staging technologies. The iconic theater celebrated the completion its restoration with a grand opening in January. Prominent attorney and community leader Larry Sands and his wife, Rene, who has been very active in local theater, were among the driving forces in the Athens Theatre restoration movement which has been under way for more than a decade. The Sands were honored in 2008 by the West Volusia Historical Society with the 2008 Historian of the Year Award. “I have to admit there were doubts by some, including me, about completing the restoration,” said Larry Sands. “But it has been a labor of love. The restoration is a success beyond expectations.” The Sands have lived in the area for more than 50 years and have had a lifelong love of local theater.

An ambitious restoration project has returned the Athens Theatre in DeLand to its original grandeur, but with state-of-the-art conveniences and staging technologies. The iconic theater celebrated the completion of its restoration in January.

The original Athens Theatre opened in 1922 as a vaudeville and silent movie house. It was revered for its architecture and craftsmanship. The theater was designed by Orlando architect Murray S. King and much of the work was done by local craftsmen and laborers.

The name complements the vision of Henry DeLand, the city’s founder, who envisioned the city as “The Athens of Florida.” For more than 70 years, the Athens Theatre was the social and entertainment center of DeLand.

The theater became something of a central gathering place during the Depression since it offered affordable entertainment. In fact, the DeLand Amusement Corporation charged only nine cents for children, keeping the admission price one cent below
the threshold at which the state entertainment tax would have applied, according to DeLand historian Bill Dreggors. It had a similarly key social role during the World War II years and beyond.

Through the decades, the Athens Theatre has been a vaudeville theater, a movie house, a community theater, a prom party house, a dinner theater, a pizza and
beer movie house and a teen night spot. Accordingly, it is at the heart of many fond memories for people of several generations whose youth included evenings at the place.

The theater was renovated in the 1950s, but deteriorated over time and was closed in the 1990s.

In 1993, there was renewed interest in the Athens Theatre and its place in Central Florida history. The Main Street DeLand Association mobilized community support for a major restoration. It was purchased by Main Street DeLand in 1994, with the help of a matching grant from the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation. In 2004, ownership was transferred to the Sands Theatre Center Inc.

Today, the Athens Theatre hosts film festivals, classic movies, independent art films, concerts, dramas, musicals and many other performances. It seeks feature-length movies that will be shown in digital format as well as shorter format productions.

Approximately one-third of the movies screened will focus on Florida or have a Florida connection. There are lecture and educational activities for students and adults.