Tampa Theatre at 100

A Century of Magic, Memory, and Renewal

For a century, Tampa Theatre has stood in the heart of downtown as a treasured cultural landmark. But its story actually begins with a narrow escape. After years of deterioration, the building’s fate hung in the balance until the city stepped in during the 1970s, restoring the venue and returning it to full use. That rescue set the stage for what it would become: a downtown landmark with an iconic Mediterranean courtyard, a glowing night sky overhead, and handcrafted and ornate plasterwork that has welcomed generations of movie lovers, concertgoers, and curious newcomers. Now, as it reaches its centennial, the celebration honors both its survival and its renewed vision for the century ahead.

While its architecture transports visitors to another era, Tampa Theatre remains firmly rooted in the present. The nonprofit venue fills its calendar with first-run and classic films, independent cinema, concerts, comedy, community events, educational programs, and special events, proving that a century-old theatre can still surprise audiences night after night.

Few people understand that promise more deeply than Jill Witecki, vice president and director of marketing and community relations. She has spent years helping shepherd the theatre through its most ambitious undertaking since the city saved it from demolition. As she explains, the centennial vision begins with honoring the building’s original artistry.

Jill Witecki

“We are never far away from the notion that this theater was built by an architect named John Eberson back in 1925 and then opened in 1926,” she says. “And John Eberson was kind of ‘the guy’ building theaters in the teens and 20s.” His signature atmospheric style, designed to make audiences feel as though they were sitting in an exotic courtyard beneath a star-filled sky, remains the soul of Tampa Theatre. Preserving that soul has guided every decision.

The centerpiece of the centennial celebration is the full restoration of the historic Duncan Auditorium. Decades in the making, the effort has been fueled by years of fundraising and careful planning. “Wherever possible, return Tampa Theatre to its 1926 splendor,” Witecki says. The paint and plaster restoration is painstaking, requiring artisans who understand century-old techniques and the delicate balance between authenticity and durability.

The theatre’s 100th birthday falls on October 15, and the auditorium must be ready. “No matter what else happens, this beautiful historic auditorium must be open in time for that 100th birthday,” she says. The celebration will extend throughout the anniversary year, but October 15 will serve as its public centerpiece, paying tribute to the theatre’s original opening night in 1926. The team even researched the film shown that evening, only to discover no surviving prints exist. “It would be super easy if we could just show the same movie we showed 100 years ago, but we can’t,” she says with a laugh.

The restoration reaches far beyond aesthetics. Running a modern arts venue inside a century-old building requires constant innovation. “The hard part is running a modern theater in a 100-year-old building,” Witecki says. Technology must be upgraded, systems modernized, and support spaces reimagined, all while preserving the theatre’s historic character. The goal is seamlessness: audiences should feel transported to 1926 even as the building quietly supports twenty-first-century programming.

A project of this scale requires partners who understand both artistry and engineering. Tampa Theatre reunited the team behind the successful 2017 lobby restoration: DLR Group, Creative Contractors, and EverGreene Architectural Arts. “EverGreene is, simply put, the best in the business when it comes to the type of authentic historic restoration work that we want and desire in a project like this,” Witecki says. Their résumé includes such landmarks as the New York Public Library Reading Room and the Capitol Rotunda.

A standout element of the restoration is EverGreene’s investment in homegrown talent. “Half of the team that’s here working on this project are local artists,” she says. A few are even longtime Tampa Theatre members. The full-circle nature of the collaboration echoes the theatre’s origins. Eberson designed in plaster, molding decorative pieces in his studio before shipping them to be assembled and painted by local artists. A century later, Tampa artists are once again shaping the building’s future.

The centennial also marks a major expansion of the theatre’s education programs. For more than 20 years, Tampa Theatre’s summer film camp has introduced young filmmakers to storytelling, collaboration, and visual literacy. “Once they understand the decisions that are being made purposefully to make them feel a certain way, you’ve got a kid that never watches a piece of video content the same way again,” Witecki says.

Demand has long exceeded capacity, and the theatre lacked dedicated classroom space. That changes with the addition of a new education wing in the Florida Avenue portion of the building. The project required installing an elevator, reconfiguring restrooms, and transforming two long-underused floors into 3,000 square feet of classroom space. “We are increasing the team, and very soon we’ll be hiring our first-ever director of education,” she says. The new wing will allow more weeks of camp, expanded programming, and future workshops for adults.

The centennial improvements are part of the larger $30 million Second Century Campaign. The Taylor Screening Room, which opened in 2024, was the first major milestone. The auditorium restoration and education wing are the next, with additional projects already planned. The stage, added in the 1970s, will be rebuilt with improved accessibility. The original 1926 Mighty Wurlitzer organ will undergo a million-dollar restoration. An automated stage cover will protect the organ while streamlining operations. The Peacock Room, a second-floor bar and lounge planned for the office tower, will provide a dedicated space for receptions, rentals, and sponsor events.
These projects reflect a philosophy of continual stewardship. “You raise some money, you do some work. You raise some more money, you do some more work,” Witecki says. The theatre’s future depends on the same community spirit that saved it 50 years ago.

Tampa Theatre has been a beacon in downtown Tampa for a century. Its next act honors its remarkable past while embracing a future where history, artistry, and imagination continue to converge.
As she looks beyond the centennial, Witecki sees limitless possibilities. “The greatest strength I think that Tampa Theatre has, beyond the beautiful building, beyond the programming that we put in here, are the people,” she says. Generations have cared for the theatre, and new generations will follow. “I think the first 100 years is just the first act.” •