WLG
winkleslaw.com
Winkles Law Group, P.A.

Tampa Theatre Building
707 North Franklin Street, 2nd Floor
Tampa, Florida 33602
Telephone: 813-226-3090 Fax: 813-226-3128
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The Tampa Theater Building

 

The Winkles Law Group has its offices on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the historic Tampa Theatre Building. Guests and clients can access our offices through the entrance to the right of the box office and by using either the elevators or the marble stairs.

Since its opening night on October 15, 1926, the Tampa Theatre has provided the area with extravagant vaudeville shows, concerts by the Tampa Theatre Symphony Orchestra, silent films, and notably was the first public building in Florida with air conditioning.

The Tampa Theatre was created by architect John Eberson who was inspired by the styles of the Italian Renaissance, Byzantine, Spanish, Mediterranean, Greek revival, Baroque and English Tudor periods to make a unique Florida Mediterranean style. His movie palaces can be found in Miami, New York, Chicago, Canton (Ohio), Houston and Austin (Texas), Paris (France), Sydney (Australia) and many other cities. According to Mr. Eberson, "I was impressed with the colorful scenes that greeted me in Miami, Palm Beach and Tampa. Visions of Italian gardens, Spanish patios, Persian shrines and French formal gardens flashed through my mind, and at once I directed my energies to carrying out these ideas." The Tampa Tribune, October 15, 1926.

The City of Tampa acquired the Tampa Theatre in 1976, rescuing the grand old movie palace from the demise of so many historic buildings in downtown Tampa whose foundations rest on land more valuable than the buildings.  Over the years, the City of Tampa has spent $1.5 million to restore it to its former movie palace glamour. Unique features include an elaborately decorated lobby (brass, tile, replicas of antiques); auditorium (magnificent tapestries, Spanish crests, twinkling stars on the ceiling); stage (elegant orchestra pit, Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ with nearly 1,000 pipes, and intricate replicas of ancient statues of historical figures); mezzanine promenade and gallery (ornate water fountains, rest rooms, tile, ceiling lights, statutes, tunnel exits to the street level); the lobby overlook with lower lobby promenade; and the newly restored Marquee.

In addition to its architecture, the Tampa Theatre is unique for its longevity, memory making appeal, and historic charm. In 1978, it was named to the National Register of Historic Places and in 1988 was declared a City of Tampa Landmark. It is managed by the Arts Council of Hillsborough County and is a member of the League of Historic Theatres.

Today, the Tampa Theatre is open year round with programming that includes specialty films, arts events, children's theatre programs, repertory films, concerts, corporate events, special events, tours and is one of the most heavily used venues of its kind in the United States.