Theatre Retains Tampa, Florida's Past
Tampa Theatre Preserves Almost-Century Old History
Tucked away in downtown Tampa, the Tampa Theatre has the distinction of being one of the city’s oldest and most prized landmarks.
Sitting down the street from the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and downtown library, the theatre still regularly plays contemporary films, classic movies and concerts as well as hosting tours, field trips, weddings and other special events.
Designed by theater architect John Eberson, the theater features a predominant Florida Mediterranean architecture style. The theater’s website adds the theater also shows touches of other styles like Greek Revival, Baroque and English Tudor in its design.
While a large marquee and vertical light sign that reads “Tampa,” the theater looks like it could be any other building guarded by the local historical society. Step inside, however, and the atmosphere of the theater experience completely engulfs the visitor.
The theatre maintains the dark and romantic atmosphere of a courtyard at twilight, complete with fountains, gargoyles and large archways. On the ceiling, the façade of the night sky twinkles with a hundred points of starlight. Even before entering the performance hall, the architecture evokes images of a secret midnight rendezvous in some corner of a European square.
The performance hall itself features another touch long since lost to contemporary theaters. On a stage outlined with a city skyline, a large organ rests to the side. Called the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, the instrument holds about 1,400 individual pipes that still can be played when the theatre shows old black and white films that require musical accompaniment.
While mall movie theaters, 20-plus theater stadium seating and digital sound have long since become the norm for the modern moviegoer, the Tampa Theatre continues to survive and operate due to the city and the theatre’s management staff. The City of Tampa acquired the theater in 1976 and named it to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Now managed by The Arts Council of Hillsborough County, the theater has undergone more than $2 million in renovations in the last years, including turning one of the back storage areas into a green room for visiting performers in 2007.
Today, the theatre boasts an average annual attendance of 135,000 patrons and holds numerous fund-raisers to maintain the theatre. On Oscar Sunday when the Academy Awards are presented, the theater holds a gala that encourages visitors to dress up as characters from the films nominated for awards.
While the theatre no longer stands in competition with modern movie theaters, its continued operation serves as a time capsule for the city's past.
