DOWNTOWN
Florida boom of the 1920s.
“This is the level we have always wanted to reach,” said
Tillman. “With people living downtown it brings it alive. It
makes the downtown a community.”
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
One of downtown’s biggest shots in the arm is a new
123,400-square-foot federal courthouse that will rise on
the south side of Orange Avenue at U.S. 1 at a cost of
$65 million.
By day, the business of law is still the predominant
focus at the southern end of Second Street, with a new
five-story, $12 million clerk of the circuit court’s building
rising on the eastern side of the courthouse complex at
one end.
At night, just down the street, the 1923 Sunrise Theatre
springs to life, bringing new vigor to downtown Fort
Pierce in the evenings.
“Fort Pierce is the center of the county’s cultural universe,
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to be sure,” said Jon Ward, director of the Fort
Pierce Redevelopment Agency, the arm of the city dedicated
to revitalization of an area stretching from the
beaches to west of seventh Street.
The restored Sunrise, reopened in January 2006, is quite
a draw, said John Wilkes, the theater’s executive director,
who has been filling the season with such top-notch
favorites as Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Peter Pan,
Dave Brubeck, Momix, and 3 Redneck Tenors since he
was hired last summer.
“I’m really pleased to see that we’re bringing people
downtown by increasing the number of shows,” Wilkes said.
In a recent survey of the audience he discovered that 70
percent had never been to the Sunrise before, and 40 percent
had never been to Fort Pierce. “It’s usually not that
high, but this shows we are an effective quality-of-life
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PHOTO BY GREGORY ENNS
This view shows the historic Second Street “streetscape” with brick sidewalks.
PHOTO BY GREGORY ENNS
The 1923 Sunrise Theatre was restored and reopened on Jan. 1, 2006. The constant stream of top-quality shows is bringing the downtown alive at night.
More than 50,000 people have attended shows this season.