Roy A. Benjamin (1887–1963) was a prominent architect who lived in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. Benjamin moved from

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most popul ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

in 1902. He designed several theaters in Jacksonville and the surrounding southeast region. His work included Jacksonville's

Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...

(demolished), Palace Theatre (Jacksonville) (demolished), Riverside Theatre, San Marco Theatre, and Arcade Theater (Jacksonville). He assisted on the

Florida Theatre The Florida Theatre is a historic American movie theater located in Jacksonville, Florida. Opened in April 1927, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 1982. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter p ...

(with R.E. Hall) and on

Memorial Park (Jacksonville) Memorial Park is a public park, located on the St. Johns River in Riverside, one of the most historic neighborhoods near downtown Jacksonville, Florida. It is the third-oldest park in the city, and was listed on the National Register of Histor ...

(with the Olmsted Brothers). He worked with Mellen C. Greeley from 1919 to 1924. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he retired and sold his practice to William D. Kemp, Franklin S. Bunch, and William K. Jackson, who have continued the firm as

KBJ Architects KBJ Architects, Inc. (KBJ) is an American architectural firm founded by Franklin S. Bunch, William K. Jackson, and William D. Kemp in 1946 from Jacksonville, Florida. History Roy A. Benjamin (1888–1963) moved from Ocala to Jacksonville soon a ...

. He also designed the PAL Theatre for owner Mr. Mitchell F. Brice in 1927 in downtown Vidalia, Georgia. The Pal Theatre in Vidalia was owned by Mr Brice and his heirs until 2004. It is currently owned by the City of Vidalia and is under renovation as of the summer of 2016. Benjamin designed his own home at 2332 Riverside Avenue. It was constructed in 1921, but has since been demolished.Architects
Jacksonville History He also designed the

Sarasota Opera House The Sarasota Opera House (originally the Edwards Theatre) is a historic theater building used as an opera house at 61 North Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The building was the vision of A.B. Edwards, the first mayor of Sarasota. It opene ...

. Roy A. Benjamin also designed a theater in downtown

Lake Worth, FL Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Wort ...

. The theater was built in the 1940s. In 2010 the building was donated by the Montgomery family to serve as a home for the Palm Beach Cultural Council. Admission is free and open to the public.

Work (often in association with others)

** Arcade Theare **

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

32 E. Forsyth Street (demolished 1956) ** Elks Club Building ** Otis Elevator Building ** Fire Station#4 (Jacksonville) ** Leon Cheek Residence at 2263 River Boulevard ** San Juline Apartments at 1617 - 1637 Riverside Avenue ** Fenimore Apartments at 2200 Riverside Avenue ** Hartimore Apartments at 2970 Riverside Avenue ** Park Lane Apartments at 1846 Margaret Street ** Lauderdale Apartments in Springfield ** Avondale Apartments in Springfield ** Florida State Board of Health Building For Vital Statistics And Administration in Springfield (built in 1937) **

Scottish Rite Masonic Temple (Jacksonville) Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

** The Elephant House at the

Jacksonville Zoo The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located at the river delta, mouth of the Trout River (Florida), Trout River, near where it flows into the St. Johns River, in Jacksonville, Florida. The zoo occupies approximately and has over 2,00 ...

(demolished) *

Miller Theater The Miller Theater is a former movie theater and vaudeville house in Augusta, Georgia. The Miller was built by architect Roy A. Benjamin utilizing the Arte Moderne style of architecture and was owned by Frank Miller. Due to an economic downturn i ...

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

* Saenger Theater (Biloxi, Mississippi) (1928–29)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, Roy A. 1887 births 1963 deaths Architects from Florida Architects from Jacksonville, Florida

Work (often in association with others)

See also

References