The Aquatarium, whose official name was Aquatarium—Kingdom By The Sea, began construction in 1963 on St Petersburg Beach. The 900-seat facility featured a marine show called “Sea Circus.”  The entire complex consisted of a main exhibition tank and a smaller round building with a gold geodesic dome covering it, where shows were held continuously. It was built adjoining the St Petersburg Wax Museum next door. The popular TV show “Flipper” aired on NBC from 1964 to 1967 and was filmed at the Miami Seaquarium, increasing the popularity of attractions like the Aquatarium. Originally forecast to cost $2 million and open in December 1963, after setbacks and delays, it opened in June 1964 with a final cost of $3.5 million.

When it was built, the 1.2-million-gallon tank was the largest aquarium in the world. The facility also included Neptune’s Reef Gardens, where 34 “viewing tanks” allowed curious eyes to see the sea's mysteries.

The aquatic show's stars were porpoises (a term incorrectly used for dolphins) that jumped through hoops and sea lions (Salty, Oscar, and Toby) that balanced beach balls on their noses and played musical instruments. Pilot whales transferred from California astonished crowds when the beasts came out of the water vertically to retrieve a treat from their trainers' hands. In later years, they opened a zoological garden where visitors could view land-based animals as well.

As an aside, in the last months of construction, the porpoises were moved temporarily to a St. Pete family’s swimming pool after trainers determined that construction noise was creating anxiety. The whale attraction only lasted two years after its debut. The whales died in captivity and were not replaced.

The attraction achieved considerable success in the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1971, the operation pulled in a $1.5 million profit but began losing money by the middle of that decade. SeaWorld Orlando opened in 1973 and took some of the tourist sea-life-doing-tricks dollars with it. That, along with a gas shortage in the mid-1970s, took its toll. Amidst the revenue loss and following the smash shark thriller “Jaws” that debuted in 1975, owners recognized that dolphins had lost their appeal and sharks were hot. The facility was renamed Shark World in 1976 after revamping the tanks and equipment, but it wasn’t enough. It closed in August 1977.

Following the closure, there was much wrangling for the beachfront land. The complex was demolished, and the Silver Sands Beach and Racquet Club were built on the property.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved