This is the Florida Theatre's missing tapestry. | Florida Theatre
Published on August 24, 2023 at 4:59 pm
A historic tapestry that disappeared after the Florida Theatre shipped it to a restoration facility in New York has been recovered, more than two weeks after it was lost.
The almost 100-year-old tapestry was one of four shipped via FedEx to EverGreen Architectural Arts in Brooklyn, but the tapestry never made it.
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Just as the theater put out the word again on social media for tips, FedEx called theater President Numa Saisselin on Wednesday to say the tapestry had been found. It was in a distribution center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Now all four tapestries will be back this fall at the 95-year-old renovated theater, hanging where they have since 1927: facing the stage.
“We don’t actually know what the dollar value is, but historically, it’s priceless,” Saisselin said. “They have been hanging on the wall since 1927 — four tapestries, two on each side, and they hang on the walls above the balcony.”
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The Florida Theatre opened in 1927, known for its classic Spanish architecture in the lobby and upstairs gathering area, as well as its ornate theater hall arch. In July, the historic theater shut down for renovation.
That includes new paint matching the original from 1927, redone bathrooms, restored architecture and an upgraded air conditioning system to preserve all those changes. By the end of this year, the theater will have spent $15 million over four years improving the building for long-term preservation.
Part of the restoration included the four tapestries, separately boxed for shipment with labels, then sent north.
“Our best guess is that the label fell off, then wherever it was in transit, it just stopped there because they did not know what it was or what to do with it,” Saisselin said.
EverGreen had been working with FedEx customer service for two weeks to find the missing tapestry but got nowhere, Saisselin said. So “out of desperation,” theater officials started a social media campaign Tuesday to ask the public for help, Saisselin said.
Action News reporter Ben Becker saw the Facebook plea and called someone he knew at the shipping company. That’s when FedEx called Saisselin, who said the tapestry was tracked to Charlotte within a day.
Saisselin called Becker “the unsung hero” who called a contact at FedEx and nudged them to help find something “that means a lot to our community.”
“It turned out to be exactly the little boost we needed,” Saisselin said.
The renovated theater has already replaced its seats, along with doubling wheelchair seating capacity, upgrading the concert sound and lighting system, and building its new Remedy Lounge. It is set to reopen just a day before the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show screening on Oct. 28.
