Downtown in Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Tampa Theatre
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, October 27, 2026
1. Tampa Theatre Marker
Designed by famed theater architect John Eberson and built by Paramount Pictures, Tampa Theatre opened on October 15, 1926. Like other downtown movie theaters at the time, Tampa Theatre was enormously popular when it opened and remained so for decades. By the 1960s, suburban growth and television led to dwindling audiences as costs rose. Movie palaces around the country were torn down, and plans were made to demolish Tampa Theatre as well, but Tampa's citizens rallied, community leaders got involved, and the City Council struck a deal to purchase and preserve the building. Tampa Theatre reopened in January 1977 and became a national model for how to save an endangered theater. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, declared a Tampa City Landmark in 1988, and named America's Most Outstanding Historic Theatre by the League of Historic American Theatres in 2024. With the opening of an additional screening room adjacent to the historic auditorium in that same year. the success of Tampa Theatre's restoration is reflected in the popularity of its annual schedule of more than 1,000 events,
this page online
A Florida Heritage Landmark
Erected 2026 by Tampa Theatre, Inc. and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1329.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Entertainment. A significant historical date for this entry is October 15, 1926.
Location. 27° 57.025′ N, 82° 27.55′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is in Downtown. It is on North Franklin Street just north of East Zack Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 713 N Franklin St, Tampa FL 33602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Tampa Bay. It is also in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, October 27, 2026
2. Tampa Theatre Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Tampa Theatre (a few steps from this marker); Teco Energy's Tampa Electric Company (within shouting distance of this marker); Woolworth Sit-In (within shouting distance of this marker); John And Ellen Jackson: Tampa Pioneers (within shouting distance of this marker); WDAE-Florida's First Radio Station (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Federal Building (about 500 feet away); Sacred Heart Church (about 700 feet away); Jimi Hendrix (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.
Another marker is no longer nearby. WDAE ---Florida's First Radio Station (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . . Tampa Theatre. (Submitted on October 29, 2026, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, October 27, 2026
3. Tampa Theatre Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2026, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 29, 2026, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
