JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Norman Studios is known as one of the first studios in the nation to pioneer films that starred African American actors in positive roles. Next month, it will be celebrating two years being open.
Norman Studios, located on Arlington Road, has free-admission tours on the first and third Saturdays of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Jim Kerkhoff, a volunteer at Norman Studios, talked about Richard Norman.
“He worked here in silent films from about 1924 through the end of the Silent era,” Kerkhoff said.
Norman was a white filmmaker who in 1916, was one of the pioneers to produce films showcasing Black people in dignified roles.
Kerkoff said the museum averages about 20 to 25 visitors every open house.
“They’re surprised,” Kerkhoff said. “They really are surprised and really it’s an interesting facet of Jacksonville’s background.”
The history really speaks for itself when you walk through the museum into rooms like this that really solidify Jacksonville in our nation’s history.
“My mother thought it would help if I could take dancing lessons, and this is one of the few studios that were here,” Jeanne Middleton, another volunteer at the studio, said.
Middleton was born and raised in Arlington and came here for the dancing lessons, which costed a dollar per lesson.
“This is how I really got to know Richard, because he not only came out to all of our recitals. Our recitals started at Landon High School,” Middleton said.
She said that she’s proud that citizens can learn about Jacksonville’s film history.
“I think the history that we’ve been promoting has been about the making of the race films that Richard did,” Middleton said. “It’s building that we have the history in Arlington that we need to be proud of and have the citizens know that this happened here.”
The next free tour will be on July 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
