The Beacham Theatre: The Early Years

Braxton Beacham Sr.

Born in Dublin, Georgia, in 1864, Braxton Beacham moved to Florida in 1883, first settling in Maitland and then a year later, moving to Orlando. He first found work in a dry goods store as a clerk, but later set his eyes on something bigger: local real estate. At one point in time, Mr. Beacham owned 150,000 acres of timber land, 500 acres of orange groves spread out over Orange and Seminole counties, and a farm in Alachua county at which he raised pigs. Braxton Beacham also served as the 18th Mayor of Orlando from 1906 – 1907. However, today, he is probably most well known for the venue that still bears his name, the Beacham Theatre.

Braxton Beacham, mentioned in the May 21, 1921 issue of Motion Picture News

The Beacham Theatre, Orlando’s First Independent Theatre

In 1917, Braxton Beacham purchased the building that had formerly served as the Old Orange County Jail. The Beacham Theatre, then located at 40 – 42 N. Orange Ave., was built on this site. The Beacham, a two story building constructed of fireproof brick and steel, was equipped with the finest technology of the day supplied by the Southern Theatre Equipment Company of Atlanta, Georgia.

Advertisement for the Beacham Theatre in the December 8, 1921 issue of the Evening Reporter Star

The Beacham Theatre was completed in 1921, and its opening day was December 9th of that year. There were 1097 seats, “every seat is a choice one”, and for the first 30 days of its opening, the Beacham Theatre only showed movies. Though it would later serve as both a theatre and a vaudeville house.

Its first showings were for the two-reel comedy “The Boat” by Buster Keaton, and the feature film “The Wonderful Thing” starring Norma Talmadge. The Beacham Theatre played both newer and second-run films; within their first month playing multiple films by popular stars of the day like Lon Chaney, Charles Ray, Nazimova and Mabel Normand.

The Beacham Theatre also had live performances, necessitating the construction of a tunnel. The tunnel, which connected the Beacham Theatre and the then newly built Angebilt Hotel, ran under Orange Avenue and allowed for the famous performers to escape the crowds of fans waiting for them in the street.

As a Sparks Theater, Florida State Theater

Original owner Braxton Beacham, Sr. died in 1924 and his children inherited the theatre after his passing. Prior to that, in 1922, The Beacham Theatre was leased to the E.J. Sparks Theater chain. By 1933, The Beacham Theatre was leased again, this time to Florida State Theatres. Twenty years later, the Florida State Theatre chain was operating not only the Beacham Theatre, but also the Vogue Theatre, the Rialto Theatre, the Roxy Theatre, the Grand Theatre (until 1953) and the Cameo Theatre.

In 1936, the Beacham Theatre underwent renovation to install air conditioners in the dressing rooms and lighted stairs. This renovation also enlarged the auditorium and improved seating in the theatre.

Lobby display shown in May 2,1925 issue of Motion Picture News

The Beacham showcasing a display of the 1933 Mae West film I’m No Angel

A Listing of Films Played at The Beacham

In order to get more of an idea about the culture in Orlando at the time, below are .pdfs listing the dates and preservation status of films that were played at the Beacham. Purple filled boxes indicate a live show of some kind. This work is currently in progress.

Films of 1921
Films of 1922
Films of 1923