DeLand 
By the early 1920s, the Athens of Florida was ready for a proper stage. Designed in 1921 by prominent Orlando architect Murray S. King, the Athens Theatre opened its doors on January 6, 1922. On the eve of the premiere, the DeLand Daily News hailed it as "Florida's Handsomest Theatre" and "a gem of architecture" — and its Italian Renaissance detailing lived up to the billing. Opening night mixed a movie, live theatre, and vaudeville acts, all under one ornate roof.
The name was no accident. It reached straight back to Henry DeLand's founding vision of a city that would rival Athens in culture, and the theatre quickly became the social centerpiece of downtown. As a vaudeville house and silent-movie palace, it welcomed touring performers and screened the films of the day, often accompanied by the swelling notes of its Wurlitzer pipe organ.
Like many grand old theatres, it fell on hard times as tastes and technology changed, but DeLand refused to let it go dark for good. A major community-driven restoration — with local historians such as Bill Dreggors among its champions — returned the Athens to its 1920s splendor, and today it operates as a live performing-arts center at the end of Indiana Avenue on North Florida Avenue, still the jewel of the historic district.