Entrance of venue (c.2006)
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Former names | Orlando Municipal Auditorium (1927-78) Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre (1978-2014 Bob Carr Theater (2014-present) |
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Address | 401 W Livingston St Orlando, FL 32801-1413 |
Location | Callahan/Parramore |
Owner | City of Orlando |
Capacity | 2,401 |
Construction | |
Opened | February 21, 1927 |
Renovated | 1962, 1975-78, 1991 |
Construction cost |
$175,000 ($2.39 million in 2017 dollars) |
Tenants | |
Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra (1958-present) Orlando Opera (1958-2009) Orlando Ballet (1974-2014) Broadway Across America (1984-2014) Festival of Orchestras (1984-2011) Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra (1993-present) |
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Website | |
Venue Website |
Coordinates: 28°32′52″N 81°23′2″W / 28.54778°N 81.38389°W
The Bob Carr Theater (originally the Municipal Auditorium and formerly the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre) is an auditorium located in Orlando, Florida. Opening in 1927, the venue is currently owned by the City of Orlando and is managed by the DPCPC. In 2015, the site was integrated into the Creative Village Development plan, facing major renovations in 2018.
The venue was proposed in 1925 after the city saw a population boom in the early 1920s. In 1926, the land reserved for the Orange County Fair was used for the auditorium. The venue opened on February 21, 1997, with a performance of Aida by the La Scala Grand Opera Company. Throughout the years, the venue became an entertainment mecca, with performances by: Marty Robbins, Andy Griffith and Elvis Presley.
In 1974, the Orlando City Council decided to renovated the auditorium and transform it into a state of the art theater and concert hall. Renovations began October 1975. In May 1978, the venue was christened the "Mayor Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre", in honor of Bob Carr (mayor of Orlando from 1956–67).
The structural and technical changes to the theater helped it become the home to the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Festival of Orchestras and Broadway Across America. With the opening of the Dr. Phillips Center in 2013, many performances held here were moved to the new theater. Dance recitals and orchestral shows are slated to move to the Steinmetz Hall in 2019.