The Tampa Theater opened in 1926 and has persevered through many changes in downtown Tampa. The marquee and the illuminated “Tampa” sign are iconic to the city. The Ice Capades ice-skating show began performing at Curtis Hixon Hall in 1977, the same year this photo was taken, but started in 1941. It began in the Bay Area in 1972 but performed in St. Petersburg and Lakeland because Curtis Hixon did not have facilities for creating a frozen surface. The show featured cartoon characters, comedy acts, jugglers, and Hollywood-like production numbers, with performers dressed in elaborate costumes. Prices for the show in 1977 were $4.50 to $6.50. Over the years, the show featured big names in ice skating, including Dorothy Hamill and Scott Hamilton, both former Olympic champions. The live production went out of business in the mid-1990s.

Also on the marquee is Brian Ganz, a mid-70s piano phenom. At the age of 14, Ganz performed with the Washington Symphony and, at 16, with several nationally known symphony orchestras. He was 17 when he performed this concert in 1977, playing selections from Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin. Ganz dropped out of high school to focus on his piano career and practiced 10 hours daily to refine his skills. Notice the circular stonework in front of the theater in 1977. The photo was taken when Franklin St. was still a pedestrian mall. It reverted to allowing vehicles in 2001, and a narrow brick street was re-installed, as seen in the 2023 photo.

The older photo comes from the Historic American Buildings Survey, the first federal preservation program in the United States that began in 1933. It took hundreds of images throughout Tampa in the mid-1970s, and they are available through the Library of Congress.

© Chip Weiner 2023. All rights reserved