The Tampa Theatre reopens to the public this weekend after a seven-month restoration.
The $24.5 million project completely and authentically restored the historic Duncan Auditorium, modernized theatre technology and improved critical infrastructure. A portion of the money also went toward creating a two-floor education center with dedicated classrooms for film studies that will open in the fall.
These transformations represent phase one of a larger initiative the theatre is calling its "Second Century Campaign" to restore and expand the historic theatre for future generations.
The second phase of theatre improvements, which is estimated to be done in 2028, will create a third public programming space and restore the theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, according to a project overview timeline.
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Tampa Theatre CEO George Levesque said the goal of the phase-one restoration was to — once again — achieve historic accuracy in the atmospheric, courtyard-style Duncan Auditorium.
"They did forensic paint analysis ... and discovered that, 'Well, you know what? That red - it was actually a blue back in the day, or that blue was actually a green'...So for the first time since 1926, it's going to look like it did in 1926," he said.
Levesque said the near museum-level restoration was led by Evergreen Construction, a group that has worked on the Capitol Rotunda and basilicas internationally.
And like all old things, the decorative theatre required a bit of dusting, too.
"If you see those terracotta roofs right here... you see a whole bunch of different tiles," Levesque said. "After 100 years of dust, we thought they were all the same color, and when they came in and did the restoration, the first thing they did was clean it, and you realize it's about five different paint colors."
Patrons will be invited back into the newly restored theatre beginning Saturday.
The first event, an exclusive screening of "Clue" for annual members, is followed by a week of events leading up to the Tampa Theatre's now-sold-out centennial celebration:
- Saturday, Oct. 10: Annual member party screening "Clue" (1985)
- Sunday, Oct. 11: Public open house to tour the Historic Duncan Auditorium. Free community event. Doors open at 1 p.m.
- Monday, Oct. 12: Screening "Casablanca" (1942) at 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 13: Screening "The Wizard of Oz" (1939)
- Wednesday, Oct. 14: Screening "A Night at the Opera" (1935)
- Thursday, Oct. 15: Centennial Celebration (Sold out)
