Renovation is precursor to Golden Apple building’s next act

The Canadian owners of the historic Golden Apple Dinner Theatre have pumped more than $600,000 into a renovation that will transform the old theater into three storefronts.

SARASOTA - The building that for decades housed the Golden Apple Dinner Theatre will soon hit the market as a new retail and restaurant complex.

The Canadian owners of the historic downtown structure have pumped more than $600,000 into a renovation that will transform the old theater into three storefronts.

Leaving touches of its 1940s roots, the new 11,783-square-foot retail collection will become one of the most notable commercial spaces available for lease in Sarasota when its doors open in six months, building representatives say.

It has been a massive undertaking, said John Harshman, president of commercial real estate brokerage Harshman & Co. Inc., who is listing the property.

This will bring it back to its shell keeping the historic qualities, while adding modernization.

The building at 25 N. Pineapple Ave. was constructed in 1948, and was home for years to Morrison's Cafeteria, which Elvis Presley was believed to frequent.

The Golden Apple opened there in the early 1970s after the downtown site changed hands for $115,000, court records show.

Theater founder Robert Turoff sold the property in February 2011 for $1.75 million to help pay debts. He had signed a multi-year lease with the new owner, but the theater was evicted in September 2012 after falling behind on its rent.

An attempt to reopen the theater last year was unsuccessful.

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Renovation is precursor to Golden Apple building's next act