Curtis Hixon was the mayor of Tampa from 1943 until he died in office in 1956. The city’s first convention hall was dedicated to him by his successor, Mayor Julian Lane. Built on the former Atlantic Coastline site, the hall began construction in the early 1960s and opened in 1965. While this Burgert photo is undated, the construction places it in the early 1960s. The 62,000 square-foot facility, to be used primarily as a concert hall and indoor sports arena, cost around $5 million to build. The hall hosted many national acts, including Led Zeppelin, The Jackson Five, the Eagles, and Santana. Guitar legend Jimi Hendrix played two concerts at the hall. Elvis Presley played several sold-out concerts there. A year before she died from a drug overdose, Janis Joplin was infamously arrested by Tampa police after her concert and charged with using indecent language after she dropped an F-bomb on stage. She was found guilty and fined $200.

The hall was demolished in 1993 following the opening of the much larger Tampa Convention Center in 1990. Starting in the 1970s, plans for the Tampa Riverwalk were being made and included using this parcel as a centerpiece. Development included the construction of a new Tampa Art Museum, The Glazer Children’s Museum, and the rehabilitation of the adjoining Kiley Garden with preservation of its amphitheater. After $15.7 million and nearly 35 years of planning, the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park opened in 2010 and has become the crown jewel for outdoor entertainment in downtown.

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