Tampa Theatre

Tampa Theatre is a historic nonprofit movie palace in downtown Tampa, Florida, operating at 711 N. Franklin Street since its opening on October 15, 1926. Designed by renowned atmospheric theatre architect John Eberson for Paramount Pictures, it stands today as the world's most complete and best-preserved example of Eberson's signature atmospheric style — a design that evokes a moonlit Mediterranean courtyard, complete with twinkling stars overhead, old-world statuary, gargoyles, and ornate architectural detail. Eberson himself considered Tampa Theatre his personal favorite among the atmospheric theatres he designed. After facing demolition in 1973, the building was saved through a community-led preservation effort and purchased by the City of Tampa. It reopened in January 1977, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and has since become a national model for historic theatre preservation. The venue is managed by the not-for-profit Tampa Theatre, Inc. under a long-term agreement with the City. Today the theatre hosts more than 600 events annually — including first-run and classic films, live concerts, special events, and corporate gatherings — across two cinema spaces: the historic 1,252-seat main auditorium and the intimate 43-seat John T. Taylor Screening Room, which opened in 2024 as the theatre's first expansion in nearly a century. The main auditorium is available for private event rental for concerts, film screenings, meetings, and presentations.