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, 1927, 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 renovate the auditorium and transform it into a state of the art theater and concert hall. Renovations began in 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 to 1967) and became part of
Zev Buffman's theater circuit. In 1988, Buffman sold his interest in the theater and five others in Florida to
Pace Theatrical.
Orlando Opera, Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Festival of Orchestras and Broadway Across America. With the opening of the
Dr. Phillips Center in 2014, many performances held here were moved to the new theater. Dance recitals and orchestral shows were moved to the Steinmetz Hall in 2019. The Bob Carr Theater was integrated into the Creative Village district of downtown Orlando, a mixed use commercial and residential development.
Future use In 2023, Orlando Mayor
Buddy Dyer announced that the development plan would include converting the Bob Carr Theater into a "town square" for technology in the downtown district. ==References==