Tampa Theatre Celebrates 100 Years with $24.5 Million Restoration
George Levesque, the new President and CEO Tampa Theater, welcomes people to the celebration and give some of the history of the past 100 years of the building.
Tampa Theatre Celebrates 100 Years with a Grand Restoration and a Night of Movie Magic
One hundred years to the day after opening its doors in 1926, Tampa Theatre celebrated its centennial last night, marking a century of movies, memories, and architectural splendor in downtown Tampa.
The celebration followed seven months of extensive rehabilitation, a $24.5 million undertaking involving the City of Tampa, donors, contractors, archivists, and preservationists. The work has helped preserve one of Tampa's most treasured landmarks and one of the few surviving atmospheric theaters in the world.
Fans and patrons of the Tampa Theater gather outside for the centennial celebration
Attendees record the party with technology that people in the 1920s couldn't even dream of. Imagine what will be happening 100 years from now.
1920s style Dancers perform out front along Franklin Street
The Jazz Phools provided early 20th century music for the celebration
Designed by renowned architect John Eberson, Tampa Theatre transports audiences into a Mediterranean courtyard beneath a simulated night sky, complete with twinkling stars and ornate architectural details. When it opened in 1926, it was a marvel of theatrical design. A century later, much of that magic remains.
Steven Ball, an internationally renowned concert organist, plays the original Mighty Wurlitzer
Technology has changed. The theater has updated its equipment to meet modern demands
A few technical changes have been made. The twinkling stars in the night sky ceiling are now fiber-optic. The movie projectors and PA system have been replaced with modern digital equipment.
The centennial also marked the release of Tampa Theatre: A Century of Stories, a 272-page official history written by the late historian Andrew T. Huse. Through historical photographs, illustrations, and engaging stories, Huse explores the theater's remarkable architecture, colorful legends, and evolution over the past century.
The evening's highlight was a look back at the theater's earliest days. Buster Keaton's The Detective was screened with live Paragon Ragtime Orchestra accompaniment, recreating the kind of moviegoing experience audiences enjoyed when the theater first opened in 1926.
Buster Keaton's The Detective is screened with live Paragon Ragtime Orchestra accompaniment, taking attendees back to the way it was when the theater first opened 100 years ago.
For a few hours, the audience stepped back a century, experiencing silent-film comedy accompanied by live music inside one of America's great surviving movie palaces.
The renovation and modernization continue. Plans are being made to open a 3,000-square-foot education center on the second floor of the rear of the building facing Florida Ave.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor describes her history and experience at the Tampa Theater since her college days
City Council members Guido Maniscalco and Maya Young explained how the city and the Community Redevelopment Agency helped make the restoration possible
Tampa Theatre has weathered changing tastes, the decline of downtown movie palaces, and the threat of demolition. Its survival is a testament to generations of Tampa residents who recognized that some places are simply too important to lose.
One hundred years later, the stars are still shining over Tampa Theatre.