Press
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CONTACT
Tampa Theatre
Street Address: 711 Franklin Street Tampa, FL 33602
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 172188, Tampa FL 33672-0188
Phone: (813)274-8286
Fax: (813)274-8978
Email: gargoyles@tampatheatre.org
www.tampatheatre.org
TAMPA THEATRE BLURB
The quintessence of grand movie palace architecture, the Tampa Theatre was chosen as one of “America’s 21 Wonders” and “One of the Top Ten Iconic Showplaces in the World.” A beloved community treasure since 1926. The Theatre was rescued from demolition in 1978 and today hosts over 600 events annually including first run and classic films, concerts by touring artists, community events, summer camps and school field trips.
A not-for-profit organization, Tampa Theatre succeeds only because of the generosity of the greater Tampa Bay community. Memberships, sponsorships and philanthropic gifts help support the Theatre’s artistic and educational programs and keep the facility open and accessible year round. The Theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a Tampa City Landmark, and is a member of the League of Historic American Theatres.
PHOTOS
Each small image is linked to a high-resolution image. Simply, click on the photo to open hi-res image, then use the “save as” button on your computer to save the image to your computer.
Click below to view Tampa Tribune photographer Jim Reed’s interactive panoramic image of Tampa Theatre: http://tour.tbo.com/tour/stops/tampatheatre.htm
FAST FACTS ABOUT TAMPA THEATRE
Opened: October 15, 1926
Architect: John Eberson
Architectural Style: Florida Mediterranean (includes touches of Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Spanish, Mediterranean, Greek Revival, Baroque, and English Tudor)
Original Construction Cost: $1.2 million
Construction Time: 1 year
Restoration Costs, to date: $2 million
First Movie: “The Ace of Cads” starring Adolph Menjou (silent film)
Ticket Price for opening night movie: 25 cents
Acquired by the City of Tampa: 1976
Named to the National Register of Historic Places: 1978
Declared a Tampa City Landmark: 1988
Managed by: The Tampa Theatre Foundation
Longest Employment Tenure: 45 years 1926-71 (Blondelle Gladney, box office cashier)
Number of Seats: 1,446
Number of events annually: 600+
Average Annual Attendance: 150,000+
Number of stars in auditorium ceiling: 99
Number of tiles on the lobby floor: 245,185
Number of Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ pipes: about 1,400
Programming: specialty film, classic movies, concerts, special events, corporate events, field trips, weddings, graduations, production location, tours
For a full history of the Tampa Theatre, click here.
ABOUT TAMPA THEATRE ARCHITECT JOHN EBERSON
Tampa Theatre was created by architectural designer John Eberson, one of the most prolific and internationally renowned movie palace designers of his time. His movie palaces are in Miami, New York, Chicago, Canton, Ohio, Houston and Austin, Texas, Paris, France; Sydney, Australia and many other cities. Eberson was born in Romania, attended The University of Vienna in 1893, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. While his early theater commissions could be characterized as traditional, by the mid-1910s Eberson had clearly forged a new direction with the Dallas Majestic Theatre (1917). His first truly atmospheric theater was the Houston Majestic (1923).
John Eberson tells how Florida inspired his atmospheric theatre design:
“I have been wintering in Florida for the past several years, and it is from this state that I got the atmospheric idea. I was impressed with the colorful scenes that greeted me at Miami, Palm Beach and Tampa. Visions of Italian gardens, Spanish patios, Persian shrines and French formal gardens flashed through my mind, and at once I directed my energies to carrying out these ideas.” – The Tampa Tribune, October 15, 1926
TAMPA THEATRE IN THE NEWS
Tampa Bay Times – April 2012
Downtown oldie gets digital goodie by Steve Persall
[Read it here.]
Visitflorida.com – October 2011
Once Destined for Wrecking Ball, Tampa Theatre Thrives as Arts and Education Venue by Curtis Ross
[Read it here.]
The Tampa Tribune – July 2011
Tampa Theatre film camp inspires young actors, writers, directors by Cloe Cabrera
[Read it here.]
Fox 13 – July 2011
What’s Right with Tampa Bay
[Watch it here.]
COUNTRY LIVING – November 2010
TT Featured in Country Living’s Portrait of America Series
[Read it here.]
BOX OFFICE MAGAZINE – November 2010
TT Projectionist Mike Hurley Wins National Front Line Award
[Read it here.]
Delta Airlines – Sky Magazine – March 2010
Top Ten Iconic Show Palaces: #6 Tampa Theatre
Tampa Theatre is in impressive company, from Radio City Music Hall to the Paris Opera House and the Colosseum. Plus, Tampa Theatre one of only four in the United States.
Click here to read and download pdf
BOX OFFICE MAGAZINE – February 2010
Marquee Award – “Community Chest – Tampa Treasure Its Tampa Theatre”
by Cole Hornaday
Click here to read and download pdf
League of Historic American Theatres – Winter 2010
Public & Private Sectors Collaborate to Save Tampa Theatre
by John Bell, President & CEO, Tampa Theatre
Click here to read and download pdf
THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: 89 Year Old Agnes Rice Reminisces About Visiting Tampa Theatre Barefoot in 1926. 6/28/09
[Read it here.]
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Travel Section 12/9/05
[Read it here.]
THE ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: Tara Schroeder 12/9/05
[Read it here.]
THE TAMPA TRIBUNE
For the “Only in Tampa” series, Trib writer Kurt Loft beautifully captured the essence of Tampa Theatre’s special place in our community.
[Read it here.]
CREATIVE LOAFING – 2/22/06
She improvs with age — A gift for improvisation has carried organist Rosa Rio through a century of change. By Cooper Cruz
Legendary organist Rosa Rio sits at the concert grand piano in her living room and plays a buoyant tune she’s written for a scene in Beyond the Rocks, a long-lost silent film.
[Read it here.]
CREATIVE LOAFING BEST OF THE BAY 2011
Best Trend in Movie Watching: Tampa Theatre “Sometimes it’s better to escape the stale interiors of the multiplex and check our a flick under the stars…”
[Read it here.]
MSNBC.COM
Tampa Theatre Tops Spooky Sights Worth Seeing List from an indpendenttraveler.com story on msnbc.com… “Sure, we all love telling a good horror story around a crackling fire, but why not hit the road and experience the chills and thrills firsthand?”
[Read it here.]
USA TODAY
In a USA Today feature, Tampa Theatre was named one of 10 great places in the country to revel in cinematic grandeur.
[Read it here.]
