3. Exposure to great live music and entertainment
In September of 1929, Neil Witschen opened the Ritz Theater at the corner of State and Davis Streets, just a few blocks north of Ashley Street. Designed in the Art Deco style by local architect Jefferson Powell, the one screen, 970 seat theatre quickly became LaVilla’s primary performance venue and an important stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit.
The “Chitlin’ Circuit” was the collective name given to a series of performance venues throughout the eastern, southern, and upper mid-west areas of the country that were safe and acceptable for African American entertainers to perform in during segregation. Other notable venues on the Chitlin’ Circuit were the Cotton Club and Apollo Theater in Harlem, the Royal Peacock in Atlanta, the Fox Theatre in Detroit and the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.
In 1999, the Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum opened on the site of Witschen’s theatre with a mission to research, record, and preserve the material and artistic culture of African-American life in Northeast Florida. So whether it’s gospel, soul, R&B, jazz or blues, a consistent rotation of events at the Ritz, including the Ritz Concert Series, Ritz Sound and Vocal Performers, Puttin’ on the Ritz Amateur Night will provide you with your fix.