The former Sun-Ray Cinema in Five Points will become a live music venue in January, according to a July 8 news release from Marathon Live, a venue management company.
The club at 1028 Park St. will be called FIVE.
This is not the first time the movie theater has been converted into a performance hall. Club 5 opened in 1991 and closed in 2004.
In May, Andrew Seng and Jay Weaver founders of Union South Partners of Decatur, Georgia, purchased the property May 16 for $7 million through 1028 Park LLC.
It plans to invest $2 million to renovate the historic Five Points Theatre. Sun-Ray closed after 13 years July 6. Its lease had expired and was not renewed.
“We have a strong record of success in activating adaptive reuse projects very similar to this one across the southeast to enhance their appeal as mixed-use destinations for both the immediate neighborhood as well as the broader community,” Seng said in a news release.
“What attracted us to Jacksonville and specifically to Riverside and Five Points is that it offers a genuine, authentic neighborhood experience with a thriving, live-work-play destination,” Weaver said in the release.
Marathon Live of Nashville, Tennessee, will operate FIVE. According to its website, Marathon Live provides turnkey services, including booking performers, marketing, ticketing, event operations and food and beverages tailored for each event.
Records show that the four-story building was constructed in 1927. It opened as the Riverside Theatre. It was Jacksonville’s first movie theater to have sound and it also could accommodate live performances.
Sun-Ray Cinema opened in 2011 and had two movie screens.
The building has retail and office space for lease under the new ownership, including two retail storefronts facing Park Street.
Marathon Live also is planning a venue in the Dennis + Ives mixed-use development at 1505 Dennis St. in the Rail Yard District.
“The Dennis + Ives one is still coming, FIVE is just coming first,” the company posted July 8 on Facebook.