The World Golf Hall of Fame and IMAX theater sit near St. Augustine. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on March 13, 2024 at 3:19 pm
With the future of the World Golf Village in St. Augustine up in the air, St. Johns County confirmed Wednesday that the IMAX Theater at the county-owned complex isn’t closing anytime soon.
“We want to reassure residents that there are no plans to close the IMAX Theater,” County Administrator Joy Andrews said in a statement. “Despite rumors circulating about a potential closure date, St. Johns County remains committed to transparency and communication with the public regarding the future of the IMAX Theater.”
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To prevent the theater from closing, St. Johns County says it’s reached a deal with the foundation to keep the theater in operation while the county pursues a new long-term operator for the facility.
The theater’s future had been uncertain since the World Golf Hall of Fame Foundation, the organization that operated the Hall of Fame and several other institutions at 1 World Golf Place, announced plans in 2022 to cease operation in St. Johns County by the end of 2023.
In addition to the movie theater — which boasts an 80-foot by 50-foot movie screen that’s currently playing host to the multi-story sandworms of Dune: Part Two — the county is deciding what it will do with the rest of the World Golf Village now that so many tenants have left or plan to leave.
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St. Johns County last fall hosted a community survey to get a feel for public interest in the property, which includes the 64,000-square-foot Hall of Fame building, the 32,000-square-foot PGA Tour office building, and the 36-acre South Legacy Trail, which includes a parking area, a body of water and more. The PGA Tour plans to stay through the end of this year before relocating to a new facility near the TPC Sawgrass golf course.
St. Johns County’s Board of County Commissioners plans to discuss the findings of the survey and “potential paths forward” for the property at a future meeting.
