Victoria Park in Fort Lauderdale in Broward County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Parker Playhouse

Photographed by Jay Kravetz

1. Parker Playhouse Marker

Inscription. The Parker Playhouse, built on land provided by the City of Fort Lauderdale in Holiday Park, opened in 1967. Dr. Louis W. Parker (1906-1993), an inventor who contributed to both the television and space industries. funded the project. The almost 1,200-seat, million-dollar theater was designed by influential and prolific Palm Beach County architect John L. Volk (1901 - 1984). Volk began working in the 1920s during Florida's real estate boom and during his long career he designed many impressive residential, civic, and public buildings. Resplendent with marble, red crystal, and elaborately painted ceiling panels, the theater operated continuously for over fifty years. It played host to innumerable theatrical and musical events that enriched the city's cultural climate. Parker partnered with producer Zev Buffman to bring legendary performers to the venue such as Elizabeth Taylor and Carol Channing. Funds were raised for extensive renovations including a front addition, partial retention of the original front façade in the newly created lobby, restoration of decorative painted and coffered ceilings in the side lobbies, and

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the refurbishment of the main theater space that were completed in 2021.

Erected 2023 by The City of Fort Lauderdale and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1227.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1967.

Location. 26° 8.026′ N, 80° 8.168′ W. Marker is in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in Broward County. It is in Victoria Park. It is at the intersection of Northeast 8th Street and Northeast 7th Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Northeast 8th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 707 NE 8th St, Fort Lauderdale FL 33304, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory

Parker Playhouse after remodeling image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jay Kravetz, September 25, 2024

2. Parker Playhouse after remodeling

of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Alexander Ramsey "Sandy" Nininger, Jr. (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Lauderdale High School, 1915-1962 Home of the Flying L'S (approx. 0.9 miles away); Ivy Stranahan (approx. 0.9 miles away); Ivy Julia Cromartie Stranahan (approx. 1.1 miles away); Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Stranahan House (approx. 1.1 miles away); Museum Building (approx. 1.1 miles away); Colonial Hotel (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Lauderdale.

Photographed by Jay Kravetz, September 25, 2024

3. Parker Playhouse after remodeling

Original Parker Playhouse image. Click for full size.

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, 1967

4. Original Parker Playhouse

Credits. This page was last revised on September 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 25, 2024, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 331 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 25, 2024, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.