How Harold K. “Bud” Smith’s generosity helps preserve a historic Jacksonville theater and keep community arts thriving.
When the curtain rises at Theatre Jacksonville, audiences gather to enjoy the stories unfolding onstage. Behind every production is another story — one of community generosity, thoughtful stewardship and a commitment to ensuring that the arts remain part of Jacksonville’s future. It is a powerful example of how a well-planned charitable gift, carefully managed over time, can make a difference long after the donor is gone.
Theatre Jacksonville is Florida’s oldest continuously operating community theater, located in historic San Marco Square. Since 1919, volunteer actors have performed on stage as part of its mission to enrich lives and broaden cultural understanding through community participation in theatre arts.
One of those actors was Harold K. “Bud” Smith, the successful businessman behind the Swisher Sweet cigar. When Smith died in 1996, he left the bulk of his estate — approximately $10 million — to establish three charitable funds at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. His generosity created opportunities to support a wide range of community needs through an endowed discretionary fund. It also established the Harold K. Smith Playhouse Endowment, designated to pay for repairs and improvements to Theatre Jacksonville’s 1938 Art Deco building.
“There’s really not a time that goes by that I don’t think of Bud,” said Sarah Boone, Executive Director, who performed as a teenager in the theatre she now manages. “Our doors remain open because of his commitment to the organization during his lifetime. When you talk about legacy, he’s the definition of it.”
The gift addressed a practical but essential need. Historic buildings require constant attention. Roofs must be repaired, electrical systems upgraded and flood water removed – often at greater cost than repairs to newer buildings. The endowment has allowed the historic nature of the building to shine, for example, through a new coat of paint consistent with the architectural feel, a renovation to the lobby that revealed a 1950s mural of a Grecian temple, or the addition of wall sconces to restore the original design. These expenses may not be as visible as a new production or a summer camp, but they are fundamental to keeping the theater safe, functional and welcoming.
“Arts and culture are essential to our quality of life here in Northeast Florida,” said Amy Palmer, Program Director who oversees Art Ventures grantmaking at The Community Foundation. “It has been a difficult stretch for our nonprofit cultural organizations, as they’ve weathered a pandemic and now face an uncertain public funding environment. Endowments help stabilize them when that stability is most needed.”
The endowment has been used strategically to seek matching funds from the public sector and to demonstrate sound financial management and staying power, which Boone believes have been critical to attracting additional philanthropic support. Many other donors have supported Theatre Jax through The Community Foundation and individually, including Delores Barr Weaver, Michael Ward and Jennifer Glock, the Chartrand family, DuBow Family Foundation, and more. Boone said that several recent legacy gifts from subscribers have affirmed that audiences see and appreciate the work taking place.
“There’s trust in us as a business,” Boone said.
The story of the Harold K. Smith Playhouse Endowment also illustrates why the management of charitable assets matters. An endowment is designed to provide support over time, requiring investment oversight, disciplined stewardship and careful attention to the donor’s original intent. The Community Foundation provides the structure for managing these funds with a long-term view, helping ensure that a donor’s generosity can continue to benefit the community well into the future.
Confidence in its financial management and good, local governance is part of why Theatre Jacksonville chose The Community Foundation for its own operational endowment, which has surpassed $1 million. With multiple sources of revenue, Theatre Jacksonville is now well-positioned for future performances, programs, and the inevitable building repairs required to make it all possible. This November, for example, the theatre is hosting a performance of “Come From Away,” the true story of a small town that welcomed stranded passengers after 9/11.
“If you’ve got a leaky roof, you can’t be on stage with water pouring in. If you don’t have the proper lights, you can’t do the show, and you can’t fulfill your mission,” Boone said. “Because Bud was an actor, and he was on our stage, he understood it.”
The true measure of such a legacy is not only the name on the façade or the dollars invested. It is what those resources make possible: a historic building preserved, a local institution sustained and a stage where new stories can be told.
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