TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The Tampa Theatre is an architectural staple in the city. The nearly 100-year-old building is as picturesque on the outside as it is on the inside.
"It's recognized worldwide. The sign has been viewed millions and millions of times, been photographed millions and millions of times. So it's an important building. It's a symbol of Tampa. And it's a world-class building. We want to make sure that it's in world-class condition for visitors," said the Theatre's CEO John Bell.
But with age comes wear and tear. With a building as intricate and ornate as the Tampa Theatre, that fixing that wear and tear comes with a hefty price tag.
"So there are two components to our capital planning right now. And one is that $22 million for capital improvements, and then an equal amount, about $21 million, for an endowment. And the endowment will not only help support programming and programming initiatives, but we also ensure that the building is well cared for down through the years," Bell explained.
The money will touch on multiple needs for the non-profit theater.
"A lot of that is in things that the audiences and performers will never see. It's basic infrastructure work, HVAC, fiber optic networks, theatrical networks, plumbing, really unsexy stuff. But then the decorative restoration of the auditorium is a high priority for us. But we have to wait on that until we get all the other stuff done. So there's a lot of work to be done to the building, not just to care for it, but to position it to be competitive and this 21st century," he said.
There's a ticking clock in terms of when they want to reach that $42 million goal.
"We have an ambitious goal, and it's aggressive. But our plan is to have the building fully restored and presented as a gift to the community. By the time the building turns 100 in October of 2026. So it's not that far away. It's about three years. So we've got a lot of work to do. But we're optimistic," Bell added.
They recently received a huge boost in helping meet the goal to renovate and preserve the theater. The Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency awarded them $14 million to go towards the renovations.
We could see the benefit of that money as early as 2024. This week, the team gave the go-ahead to contractors to begin work on adding another smaller screening room. This would be the first major addition since the building was built in 1926.
Perhaps you've seen the signs when you walk past the theater. Just to the left of the ticket booth, behind the wooden doors, there used to be a floral shop. It survived for 30 years beside the theater before shutting down. The team had renovation plans set for 2019, two years after Phase I of renovations to the main portion of the theater. However, the pandemic halted those plans. Now they're back on track with the new addition.
"We're going to convert it into a second screening room (with) 43 seats. It's going to be very small, but it's going to be a great cinema space. And it really changes the business model for the theater because now we have a lot more programming flexibility on the calendar not only to shuffle films around but also to make room for more concert events, live events, community events. So that's an important piece and that will be one of the first projects that that will be done," Bell said.
ABC Action News got a look inside the room. Right now, the small room is storing some of the spare lighting and other materials. But behind the vacant room, the team with the theater can see the future iteration of it.
"The flower shop has been here for about the past 30 years in this balcony above us was their office space. And, of course, they had the big glass cases out front for their displays. But once we start transforming this space into T two, all of that will be gone, all of this balcony above us will be gone, the cases will be gone, it will basically be open out to those wooden construction walls. And that front area where now you're seeing the cases is what's going to be the lobby for T two," explained Jill Witecki, the Marketing Director.
Witecki's excitement shines as she speaks about the renovations finally coming to light.
"We think from the Franklin Street sidewalk, including this beautiful circular spiral staircase that takes you up to the projection booth. It's been a fun conversation to have because we have to have a way for the projectionist to get up there. And that's the only place to put it. So instead of trying to conceal some utilitarian staircase, we said, what if we made it this beautiful design feature that will be our Instagram corner," she said.
The small lobby will have a small concession stand. The front of it is a modern take on the classic design just to its left.
"The part I'm most excited about, I think, is the front elevation of the building. So if you've seen the office tower on the other side of the box office, you've seen those glass doors with the wood trim and the brass rails and the beautiful transom windows above. The design right now for T two mimics that on this side, a little bit more modern, a little bit updated, but basically mimics that same look. The neat feature, though, is that it's an accordion wall. So we're able to move that entire wall out of the way and open that little lobby out onto the sidewalk," she said.
The team feels this addition will do wonders for programming at the theater.
"The flexibility that this second space is going to give us in serving the community is hard to even put into words. Right now, we open our doors in the historic auditorium about 700 times a year. We have gotten so good at dancing around each other to fit as many possible things as we can in that room. But we're doing 700 things a year in one room, which means we're saying no to countless other things," she said. "The flexibility that that's going to give us with additional screening space, additional events space, additional education space, the number of programs that we're going to be able to offer to the community, the number of times a year we're going to be able to welcome Tampa into our building is going to increase exponentially."
Once that's completed, the other big project is renovating the third floor. It's currently mostly storage. Decades upon decades of wear and tear are apparent on just about every corner of the floor. Once completed, it'll likely become a multi-purpose area where receptions, classes, and more are offered.
There's a lot of work ahead and much more money to be raised. The non-profit is looking for donors, but just a ticket purchase or a bag of popcorn could mean big things for the future of the Tampa Theatre.
"We have generations of people that have come to the building, and they have memories, family memories, memories here. And you can really tell the story of Tampa of the last 100 years through the lens of the Tampa Theatre. All the changes that have happened, the growth of downtown, the decline of downtown, the rebirth of downtown, and sort of all the social changes that have happened. It's an important building. And it's important, not just because it's a beautiful architectural masterpiece, but it's also because of the humanity that is represented in this building. That's what really makes it significant. And that's why it's so vitally important that we preserve it for the next generation," Bell said.
Theater Two is expected to open next year.
