orchestra, and Roy Brown and his Mighty Men. On May 8, 1954, the Royal Theatre hosted the famous "Harlem After Dark" stage show. Musicians from the nearby Manhattan Casino performed gigs at the Royal, and often accompanied contestants in the local talent show, which was held on Wednesday evenings. The City of St. Petersburg held its annual Christmas party for black employees and their families at the Royal Theatre, while the party for white employees and their families was held at the Florida Theatre at 5th Street North. Both holiday parties featured screenings of Miracle on 34th Street. As the civil rights movement and desegregation gained momentum, the Royal lost business to theaters in other parts of town. Boardman closed the Royal during the final months of 1965, and sold it the following year. For a time, it operated as a burlesque club and showed adult films. The building was eventually abandoned and became an "eyesore" in the local neighborhood, which went into a period of decline due to the construction of the Interstate 275 highway. Boys & Girls Club On June 15, 1975, the Royal Theater reopened as the South Side Boys' Club, for both boys and girls. The building was refurbished to include a library, a game room, a wood shop, and an all-purpose room. In 2004, the Royal Theater re-opened again following a major renovation by the Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast. In addition to a movie screen and stage in a 125-seat auditorium, the facilities of the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Club include dance, drama and music studios; an art gallery; a computer center and classroom; and a recording studio. Funding for the $225,000 recording studio was donated by local businessman Bill Edwards. The dance studio was donated by actor Angela Bassett, who grew up in Midtown St. Petersburg, and had attended programs at the Royal Theater Boys & Girls Club as a child. Architecture The Royal Theater was designed by architect Philip F. Kennard for the Gulf Coast Entertainment Company, and was constructed out of fireproof steel and concrete. The dome-shaped Quonset roof was said to "permit high acoustic fidelity." Renovations in 2003 to 2004 were led by Kevin Bessolo and the Bessolo Design Group. The new design placed offices up high, where the theater's projection room used to be, providing youth club supervisors with a clear view of the entire interior.