Jacksonville History - Our Cedar Hills - The Westside Grows-The Old Cedar Hills Theatre

[@charliemock4366]

I was a patron of this theater many times in the late sixties through the early eighties. Most vividly recall seeing “Jaws” there. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheJaxLeft]

Thanks!

[@kelvinmills9250]

Love it.

[@joemanuola75]

Fantastic content!

[@TheJaxLeft]

Thanks! :)

[@tonycruz3136]

Thanks for this! I saw "The Hunger" here in 1980 (David Bowie, Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon). The pizza place was Cisco's.

[@cathydutch5429]

OMG, I saw Tommy at that theater. WOW I remember the old Arthur Teachers fish and chips right out front. The Winn Dixie on the opposite end, The Slot Car Shop, A HUGE fabric shop and a whole ton of other cool shoppes. I used to live over on Cedar Creek Circle. As a lil kid I used to ride my bike over there. There was also a little carnival that would set up there too.

[@franceslarsen4037]

The clothing store was Cloth World:) had to get some material, etc. there when I was in 2nd grade, still remember my mother and I rushing down the sidewalk to get in before they closed, as the project would begin the next day and somehow I hadn't made it clear to her I had to have this stuff until the last minute! I remember the delicious food at Arthur Treachers fish and chips, awesome..

[@Corbantis]

Yep I remember the yearly carnival they put on there. Lots of fun.

[@Corbantis]

I remember seeing one of the last movies shown on the single screen before they changed to the two separate screens. My Mom took us to see Moonraker. Back then movies would be in the theaters for months if they drew a good audience. At one point there was a pizza place to the right of the theater n the late 70s mid 80s but the name escapes me. It was a favorite hangout for high schoolers before and after the movie

[@phillipbelisario9809]

I remember seeing many Disney movies as well as Jaws at this theater just shortly before going to our families beach house for 2 weeks for the summer. I didn't do much swimming. I lived literally a few blocks from this shopping center. I'd ride my bike frequently up to Winn Dixie for mom for bread or milk as well as the old Skinners Dairy Drive-thru that we used to call the Butterfly) but that was once the newer part of the center had been built and it was Winn Dixie, Western Auto and JC Penny and a few others. S&S Cafeteria ended up where WD used to be (although I think there was something else there between the 2). I remember when Blanding went from 2 lane to 4 lane and the old Bamboo Luau was there on the Cedar River and Blanding. I also remember a Photo Bug(???) popping up in the parking lot and I also remember a pizza joint by the theater and a Fish & Chips in front of it. This was all before Confederate Point was constructed where my mother had a needlework and decoupage shop called Cricket Corner in that shopping center. The old Hyde Park bridge over Cedar Creek was still wooden as was the San Juan bridge. The street I was born and raised on doesn't seem to show up in the photo's or at least are hidden by trees. If you want to talk about other theaters in the area, the St. Johns theater (both that and Cedar Hills I remember being built), the old Edgewood Theater (which I think should have become an historic location but oh well) and Normandy Mall theaters. I remember when that was just Monkey Wards. The old Atlantic Mills was over there too by the Pic'n Save which I worked at as a teenager. Also the old Fox and Blanding drive-in theaters as well as the old Playboy drive-in out blanding by the old House of Bargains. Then came 295, the widening of Normandy, Old Middleburg (in front of Ed White), widening of Lane Ave, San Juan Ave., etc. I could go on and on. Oh, and don't forget the old 5-points theater and Union Station before becoming something insignificant.

[@franceslarsen4037]

We lived about 2 miles away from this shopping center (MacGregor Dr off Wilson) and my mother didn't cook much, but made good money as a librarian at FJC (South Campus) so a lot of meals from S &S, which was very good food (!) my brother really liked Bamboo Luau when my mother allowed to treat him there, I remember the photo bug in the parking lot area, but not which years it was there, my mother would buy me teen clothes, if not Penneys, or Kmart, then Lerner's right there on the corner across from the cafeteria. I loved Lerner's! There was an Eckerds in there, I feel, unless I got it mixed up with Walgreens but it really seems like Eckerds. There was a Record Bar right past S & S, going left. Saw 1.00 movies in the theater there, from around 81 to 83.

[@rockyweim]

I took this picture and posted this on a web site called Cinema Treasures. cinema treasures.org/. I was the District Manager for Eastern Federal Theatres when i took this picture. The Blue 1980 Pontiac Catalina parked to the right of the entrance was my company car. This was shortly after the theatre reopened as a twin theatre in late 1980. It was a single screen theatre before that. I left the company in late 1984, when it was a $1.00 theatre, and after we closed the Midway Drive-In and put the Fox on weekend only. Go to Cinema Treasurers and see mor of the Jacksonville area theatres.

[@franceslarsen4037]

So the Winn Dixie store dates back to the fifties, with exception of transferring it to the other end? What year did they move it to the other side of Wilson, do you know? It's still there today)

[@YrougeCowell]

No air conditioning until Penney’s