The closed San Marco Theatre is available for tenant lease.
Matthew Clark, senior director at the Colliers commercial real estate company, and associates Olivia Steinemann and Sam Middlekauff are representing the 85-year-old property in historic San Marco Square.
Pam Howard, property manager and agent for owner TSG Realty, said Jan. 25 the ownership listed the theater for lease with Colliers on Jan. 24.
“We have worked with them many times before and we know they do outstanding work,” Howard said.
“We are already talking to some great tenants and hope to bring a really good user to this space.”
Howard said the news that the nearby East San Marco shopping center is fully leased after five months of opening is encouraging.
“We know that many users are targeting San Marco,” she said.
Clark posted on LinkedIn that the Colliers Urban Division team, comprising him, Steinemann and Middlekauff, are marketing the property.
It consists of the 4,750-square-foot theater at 1996 San Marco Blvd. and the 1,950-square-foot building next to it at 1992 San Marco Blvd.
“Ownership of the property seeks to work with retailers that complement the existing merchant mix in historic San Marco Square,” Clark posted.
“The theatre was one of the most elegant, opulent cinemas in the city and designed by architect Roy Benjamin.”
Sanmarcotheatre.com said Benjamin, a nationally recognized architect, also built the Florida Theatre Downtown.
“When designing the San Marco Theatre, Benjamin, having to keep up with current trends, dropped the Moorish, Spanish and Italianate designs and converted to Art Deco,” the site says.
Colliers is marketing the property as the San Marco Theater Building.
The owners of the two-screen theater announced Dec. 28 that the venue would close Jan. 1.
The Facebook post attributed the closing to a changing industry where theaters increasingly compete with streaming services for patrons, as well as the coronavirus pandemic’s negative effect on attendance.
Howard said Dec. 22 that TSG Realty had worked with the operators “in a very cooperative way and know they are trying as hard as possible to generate business.”
The building and facade will remain.
“We would never demolish this building. It’s structurally sound and looks fantastic,” Howard said.
“We are committed to always having the exterior façade look like the San Marco theater.”
TSG Realty announced Sept. 8 it bought the San Marco Square properties anchored and leased by the San Marco Theatre and Stellers Gallery for $3.35 million.
Stellers Gallery is under lease at 1900 San Marco Blvd.
The third bay between the theater and the gallery is not occupied.
The buildings were developed in 1938 and together sit on 0.28-acre.
TSG Realty bought the properties from San Marco Real Estate Partnership LLC.