The city of Bunnell may have lost a historic landmark and a cultural centerpiece Sunday night when The Flagler Playhouse was badly damaged by fire.
Bunnell Mayor Chatherine Robinson says the community is devastated by the fire. The building -- dating from the 1950s -- used to be the First Baptist Church and in 2006 became The Flagler Playhouse.
Robinson says it's also a tragedy on a personal level.
"I was telling someone else last night as I was sat there watching it burn," she said Monday, "that I got married in that building 49 years ago and I was baptized with my mom at the age of 19 in that building. My children were baptized ... we went to church there for many years."
The mayor says it's too early to say whether the building can -- or will be -- rebuilt.
It's among a few historic buildings along Moody Boulevard in the Bunnell.
"That building," Robinson said, "is right beside the old courthouse, which is another historic building owned by the county. ... It just really lent itself to almost a little bit of a historical district for Bunnell."
Units from multiple fire departments were dispatched beginning at 10:02 p.m., according to Flagler County Fire Rescue. Officials say that when they arrived the blaze was in the rear but quickly spread through the attic.
A farce was set to open at the playhouse on Friday. Its title: "The Play that Goes Wrong."
