Mayor Bob Carr Municipal Auditorium

History

The Orlando Municipal Auditorium was designed in 1925 by Cruz and Parrish, Architects. The classic revival design had an interior arrangement adapted from the Roman Coliseum. It was a very functional design constructed of brick, steel and concrete by James Peterson Construction Company at a cost of $175,000. The original building boasted a seating capacity of 2,842.

View program.

The February 1927 grand opening of the Orlando Municipal Auditorium featured the 1st Grand Opera Week from February 21st to 26th. The opera Aida performed by the La Scala Grand Opera Company began the week.

February 21 – Aida
February 22 – Lucia di Lammermoor
February 23 – Il Trovatore
February 25 – Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci
February 26 – Faust

A list of coming events includes the Anti Saloon League, University of Florida Glee Club, Edgar Guest, Galli Gurci, Dennishawn Dancers, Elks Minstrels, Highland Lassie Kiltie Band, Arthur Pryors’ Band, and Raold Amundsen.

The 1930’s

The expression, “The show must go on,” is well known theatrical credo from the 1800s and it also applied during the Great Depression at the Orlando Municipal Auditorium. According to the Orlando Sentinel, theatrical performances were “sponsored by the music committee of the Orlando chamber of commerce with the assistance of the recreation department as part of the tourist entertainment program.”

A photo from the Orlando Public Library’s collection of historic Orlando buildings, groups, and events, captures the cast of one such performance – Gilbert and Sullivan opera H.M.S. Pinafore featured at the auditorium February 3-4, 1930.

An Orlando Sunday Sentinel article published February 3, 1930, provided a history of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera and noted that, for the Orlando production, the “costumes and scenery have been imported from New York and the performances will be staged on plane equal to that of the professional companies.”

The Pinafore cast – composed entirely of local artists, the Festival Chorus formed in 1928, along with the 18-piece orchestra comprised of members of Winter Park Symphony orchestra, were under the direction of Dr. Clarence C. Nice.

Renovations

There were several renovations in the 1950s and 1960s in an effort to make the space more user friendly but there were limitations that needed to be addressed.

On August 17,1975, the grand plans for a “face lift” for the old Municipal Auditorium were published in the Orlando Sentinel by staff writer Dean Johnson, including a new seating plan and architectural rendering of the garden lobby with promenade and an elevator.

Section perspective, above, shows the new main seating plan and the garden lobby on the left.      

Designed by Tom Price and architect Don Duer, this was the first effort to provide Orlando with a functional theatre / concert hall.   (From Grand Opening brochure 1978.)

Orlando Municipal Auditorium Gala Celebration

The updated and expanded Municipal Auditorium was opened to the public during a Gala Celebration that took place May 5-14, 1978. A booklet created to memorialize the Gala Celebration was presented to every person attending one of the Gala Events. It features a bio of Robert Spencer Carr, better known to Orlandoans as Bob Carr, a photograph of the buildings before the remodel and an artist’s depiction of the newly remodeled structure and information on all the updates and upgrades completed. Quoting from the letter of Mayor Carl T. Langford in the front of the booklet:

“Whether you are attending the opening night or any evening of this Gala Opening, the City of Orlando extends a heartfelt welcome to you. The purpose of this Gala Celebration is to expose the Mayor Bob Carr Municipal Auditorium to the maximum number of people whether your tastes are Symphony or Country, Ballet or Rock. In other words, “Up Beat, Downtown, Something for Everyone.” We hope you’ll be provided with entertainment to your liking! This is your auditorium — for the privilege of all Central Floridians to enjoy.”

The booklet is in the Orlando Mayor Bob Carr Municipal Auditorium file at the Orlando Public Library, or you can peruse it here.

The Mayor Bob Carr Municipal Auditorium was later renamed the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, hosting performances of the most popular musical productions of all time and contemporary performance like Stomp. Peruse the Playbills from well-known Broadway plays below, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Death Trap, Man of La Mancha, Stomp, State Fair, Miss Saigon, Tap Dogs and West Side Story.

Peruse the images and documents below under ATTACHMENTS.