Historic Imogene Theater survives blaze

A Santa Rosa County landmark was damaged, but not destroyed, by a blaze in historic downtown Milton on Tuesday.

“The Imogene Theater is structurally sound,” stated Joy Tsubooka, the county’s public information officer, in a news release Wednesday. “While the building sustained fire, smoke and water damage, it is expected to be salvageable.”

Earlier today, county officials inspected the five buildings in the 6800 block of Caroline Street (U.S. Highway 90) that were fully involved in the fire, according to the release. They found  “fairly minor structural damage”  to exterior walls. Some walls in the center of the block facing Caroline Street “appear to need engineered stabilization or removal.” The rear walls have major masonry wall damage. The theater’s interior suffered only minor damage, except for the west balcony area, where a support beam and joist separated.

Several callers reported fire in the area about 6:50 p.m. Fifteen fire departments from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties fought the blaze, which was controlled about 11:30 p.m. City of Milton firefighters remained on scene Wednesday to extinguish any hot spots and Caroline Street between Canal and Willing streets will remain closed until further notice.

The fire is believed to have started in a shed behind the theater and the adjacent Bray Building. High winds are blamed for spreading the flames so quickly. No injuries were reported, although two firemen were treated for heat exhaustion.

Damage is estimated at $2 million. The State Fire Marshal and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are investigating the cause of the fire.

According to the Santa Rosa Historical Society, the Imogene Theater opened in 1912 as the Milton Opera House. It hosted vaudeville acts before being converted to show “moving pictures,” and in 1920 it was named the Imogene Theater after the new owner’s youngest daughter, Imogene Gootch. The theater closed in 1946 but the building served as a barracks for sailors at Whiting Field. By 1984, the building was abandoned and in disrepair. The Santa Rosa Historical Society bought the building and, with $300,000 in state grants and lots of volunteers, began restoring the theater. It reopened in 1987.