The 1912 Imogene Theater

saved in 1985 by the

Santa Rosa Historical Society

Operated by the

Santa Rosa Historical Society

6866 Caroline Street, Milton, FL

(850) 623-9866

Home of the Museum of Local History and the Imogene Theater. Currently closed for renovations resulting from fire damage. Scheduled reopening is in 2011.

The Imogene Theater was built as a vaudeville theater in 1912 and opened under the name of the Milton Auditorium. The Imogene Theater is located in the heart of the Downtown Milton Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Upon its opening, the theater offered "moving pictures" three nights a week and vaudeville performances on Saturday nights. In 1920, the theater was renamed Imogene after the 11-year-old daughter of the owner, Clyde Gooch. The Imogene was a premiere facility in its heyday, boasting a Wurlitzer organ in the 1920s and the first air conditioning in Milton in the 1930s. The first floor of the building was used for the Milton Post Office until 1940 when a new federal building opened nearby. The theater closed in 1946 when the Milton Theater opened on Elmira Street. 

A variety of businesses were housed in the building throughout the next three decades and the theater space on the second floor was used primarily for storage. The building was eventually abandoned and vacant by the time the Santa Rosa Historical Society purchased the building in 1984 to prevent its demolition. The restoration was completed in 1988 with the help of $300,000 in state grants, and many hours of volunteer labor. Throughout the next twenty years, the Museum of Local History was housed on the first floor of the Imogene while the downstairs parlor and theater were rented out for special events including plays, concerts, weddings, parties, and meetings.  The Theater was closed  temporarily after Hurricane Dennis damaged the roof of the theater in July 2005.

On January 6, 2009, a fire in downtown Milton destroyed neighboring buildings and severely damaged the Imogene. The building has been closed since that time. With insurance claims and hopeful grant awards, the Society hopes to have the building reopened by 2011. Expansion of facilities and activities are planned upon the Imogene’s reopening. The restoration of the Imogene is dependent upon the dedication of the Society's members and through the financial generosity of people like you.  The Imogene Theatre is also the headquarters of the Santa Rosa Historical Society located in Milton, Florida.

We welcome you to help us once again preserve this community landmark so that it serves many more generations of Santa Rosa County citizens. The Imogene is located approximately 23 miles northeast of Pensacola.

RENOVATION DRAWINGS

Theatre Floor

"Phase I" Restoration Plans

"Phase II" Restoration Plans, including possible addition