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Tampa Theatre wants to celebrate centennial with your memories and an historic restoration

Black and white image from above looking down at the front of the Tampa Theatre with signs saying "Helene Hayes, What Every Woman Knows, Bank Night Every Friday." Hundreds of people are crowding the front of the building, spilling into the street.
Tampa Theatre
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Courtesy

Theater patrons can share photos, ticket stubs and stories — either from generations before or more recently. A new archive room will be added to house the collection.

Tampa Theatre, the downtown movie palace, is gearing up for its 100-year anniversary in October 2026. The historic landmark is commemorating by collecting and archiving memories and memorabilia from residents.

Theater patrons can share photos, ticket stubs and stories — either from generations before or more recently.

"We would love to get a hold of that and keep it in our archives, because all of that helps tell the story about Tampa and Tampa Theatre,” said president and CEO John Bell.

Contributors can either temporarily bring the items into the theater for preservation through photography or scanning before taking them back home, or they can be donated.

Image of a black and white Tampa Tribune newspaper from 1939 announcing Tampa Theatre's 13th anniversary with two white and yellow ticket stubs from a 1986 comedic performance by Steven Wright.
Tampa Theatre
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Courtesy
As Tampa Theatre approaches its centennial milestone, patrons are asked to "unearth those stories and artifacts that capture its rich history."

The theater is also giving back to the community, Bell said, by restoring the building to its 1926 appearance.

"Picture the entire auditorium being filled with scaffolding from top to bottom, and the artisans will come in, and they will work their magic," Bell said.

“We know as beautiful as the building is now, that when it is restored to its original paint scheme, it's going to be much more vibrant and jaw dropping than it even is today.”

ALSO READ: Tampa Theatre is in line for a $14 million facelift

While Bell said there's a lot of “unsexy stuff” planned for the renovation, like plumbing and air conditioning, the structure will also be modernized for today's touring shows.

A new archive room will also be added to house the collection of donated items and stories. It will all be catalogued and available for the public to comb through.

"Tampa Theatre belongs to this community ... that's what makes this building really significant. ... It's not just a spectacular architectural piece, but the fact that there's this love affair between Tampa and the Tampa Theatre,” Bell said.

The city was burgeoning when the movie palace first opened its doors in 1926.

"It just represented faith that Tampa was going to grow. And I still think that today, Tampa Theatre represents faith in the future of our city," Bell said.

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