The Sun-Ray Cinema at 5 Points, formerly known as Riverside Theater and 5 Points Theatre, is a movie theater located in the Five Points area of Jacksonville, Florida.[1] The theatre first opened in March 1927 at the height of development of Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood. The theater was the first in the state, and third in the country, equipped to show talking pictures.[2][3] The first "talkie" shown was Don Juan, starring John Barrymore and Mary Astor. Admission was $1.10, an expensive ticket considering the prevailing wage was less than a quarter per hour.[2][4]
Roy Benjamin, whose architectural firm eventually became KBJ Architects, designed the theater building in the Italian Renaissance style, along with more than 200 theaters throughout Florida and the southeast United States including Downtown Jacksonville's Florida Theatre.[5]
The building was remodeled in 1949 and renamed the Five Points Theater when the marquee was added, which remains to this day. The theater closed for several years in 1977 and an attempt was made to "modernize" the building in 1978 with the application of stucco. In the early 1980s the movie theater shut down, and the acting group River City Playhouse moved into the space in 1984. In 1991 the building was remodeled into a nightclub, Club 5, which closed in 2004.[6]
A four year, $4.5 million historic restoration was begun in 2004 after local car dealer Mike Shad purchased the property. Midway through the renovations, the facility was opened for private events like reunions and wedding receptions, but work was not completed until 2008. The renamed 5 Points Theatre and Historic Event Facility now offers 14 loft condominiums on the third and fourth floors, commercial/office space on the second level and retail space on the ground floor, in addition to the theater.[7] Although the marquee was not original, it was also restored because it is considered a historic component.[4][5] In 2010 the Theatre shifted to an "art house" format, with foreign, independent and classic films, late night movies, and special events and concerts. The Theatre was a venue for the 2009 and 2010 Jacksonville Film Festivals, the 2009 and 2010 Citrus Cel Animation Festival, and has hosted its own Horror Film Festival as well.
In 2011 movie theater entrepreneur Tim Massett raised funds to take over and renovate the venue. Massett raised $102,450 via online crowdsourcing and private loans. The improvements will include a larger screen, sound dampening, and tiered theater seats. The venue was renamed the Sun-Ray Cinema at 5 Points, and re-opened in December 2011.[6]