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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
Several times a year, I cross Tampa Bay to go to the Tampa Theater, usually to see a good documentary. It's always a special treat.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
Tampa Theater was designed by architect John Eberson in 1926. It was hugely popular when it opened because it was Tampa's first public building to be air conditioned. The building's facade hints at the ornate design within.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
This ceiling, which strikes me as Venetian in design, is above the ticket booth and extends into the lobby. Elaborate tile patterns are throughout the theater.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
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| mitampabay.com |
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| click to enlarge | ignitetampa.org |
I always gravitate to the balcony, all the better to take in the theater's decor, an ornate architectural facade. The theater is usually darkened, but I was able to shoot the detail below without using a flash.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
There's a concert of period music before every showing, when an organ rises from beneath the stage. Just before the movie begins, the organist acknowledges the audience with a wave of his hand, and then the organ descends back down to the basement.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
There are several fountains like this one throughout Tampa Theater, and wonderful details at every turn, like the alcove and urn, below.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
Amazingly, almost nothing has changed since 1926 — just look at this great sign in front of the men's room. Below is one corner of the men's room, glistening with gold tile. I wouldn't be at all surprised if an attendant sat in that chair at one time.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
By 1973, Tampa Theater had fallen on hard times and was in jeopardy of being torn down like so many other great theaters around the country. But the citizens of Tampa rallied behind it, the city assumed its leases and today it's run by a not-for-profit foundation. The Hillsborough County Arts Council manages the films shown at the theater, and holds over 600 events there each year. In 1978, Tampa Theater was named to the National Register of Historic Places.
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| Mark D. Ruffner © 2013 |
One last look back as we exit the theater lobby.
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I've always seen pictures of this theater but had no idea where it was. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHi, Stefan - I was thinking of you when I posted that second photo.
DeleteHooray for the people of Tampa for saving this! It's a little over the top on my opinion but it's something that just couldn't be duplicated today so it should be saved. Thank you for sharing it, Mark!
ReplyDeleteHi, Steve,
DeleteYes, wonderfully over the top in a way that might be particular to the Florida of the 1920s.
Dear Mark, What a treasure trove of design ideas! Thank you for posting this wonderful theater. Do you know of a publication which features your Movie Palace? I would love to see more.
ReplyDeleteDear Gina, I don't know of a book beyond local histories where this has appeared, but your comment makes me wonder if there might be a great picture book that documents all the theater palaces that have survived. There should be!
DeleteWhat a masterpiece! It is a bit over the top, but I love it! Especially that grand ceiling above the ticket booth.
ReplyDeleteHi, Loi - I love the way that ceiling is colored. Incidentally, you can see what it looks like at a distance in the last photo.
DeleteThis theatre reminds me of so many of the wonderful theatres here - no wonder they were known as the 'glory day'. Going to the theatre was a grand occasion with people dressing up in evening gowns for their visit. Was this just literally a cinema or did they stage productions too.
ReplyDeleteI like the miscellany of styles, a bit of Art Nouveau, some of the tiles showing the Art Deco influence, and as you mention the Venetian style ceiling.
Now I am left wondering what the ladies powder room looks like!!!
Dear Rosemary,
DeleteI'm glad to know you still have many wonderful theaters there, that they haven't been torn down in such great numbers as in the U.S. My mother remembered the London theaters in the old days, and reminisced about the ladies who went up and down the aisles with trays of candy during intermission.
While the water fountains are definitely Art Nouveau, I think most of the detail is Venetian (with apologies to that fine city!).
Dear Mark,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful tour of one of your hometown treasures! I love the exuberance of the whole place-- so many layers of ornament--wonderful! I especially liked the tile floors and the mosaics near the men's room: I'm guessing that near the ladies' room there are mosaics with "+" signs? So stylish and clever...You're so lucky to spend time there.
Warm regards,
Erika
Dear Erika,
DeleteWhat I have labeled the men's room is actually the antechamber to it. Your astute observation about the tile design made me chuckle (I hadn't made the connection). I'll have to do some research on that.
Erika is so quick off the mark - hope you can check out the ladies' room mosaics, and may be get a passing lady to take some photos inside too.
DeleteDear Mark - the Ladies Parlour can be seen here
ReplyDeletehttp://millionmilesecrets.com/2013/04/05/tampa-trip-report/
Thanks, Rosemary, for your diligence.
DeleteReaders, more photos — and very good ones — can be seen at the link Rosemary has provided.
This is absolutely gorgeous, and a wonderful survivor. How fortunate that it did not meet the fate of many of its contemporaries. Wonderful photographs! Thanks, RD
ReplyDeleteThanks, Reggie! I've been meaning to showcase this for some time.
DeleteHow terrific that it was saved and restored. Visiting it, whatever one is watching, is an event, which one imagines what all such occasions were in the days when these establishments were first created. I rarely go to the cinema, (the last time over ten years ago), much preferring to watch movies at home at my convenience, but this would tempt me to change my mind occasionally.
ReplyDeleteDear Columnist,
DeleteYou are absolutely right that Tampa Theater has always been an event, and still is. It hosts many film festivals and movies that would not be available for viewing otherwise. The day that I shot these images, a friend and I went to see "20 Feet from Stardom," a documentary on the backup singers who provided the mood and very identifiable sound to the biggest Rock 'n Roll acts. It's a fascinating story, and appeared in this area only at the Tampa Theater.
Hello Mark, This is a happy outcome for a preservation story. It is especially pleasing that the building was kept open to the public, and in addition made the venue for so many movies and events. Lately I have seen many restorations made into private buildings with little or no public access.
ReplyDeleteHello, Jim -
DeleteTampa Theater has become the perfect venue for what I guess would be called alternative film — classics, foreign, animated, experimental, non-Hollywood — and there's a need for at least one theater like that in every community. My own city of St. Petersburg just lost its alternative theater, though it wasn't an architectural gem.