Tampa Theatre Oral History Collection
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Interviewer
Andy Huse
Publication Date
2024
Date
2024-05-11
Abstract
Rodney Kite-Powell, Director of the Touchton Map Library at the Tampa Bay History Center and author, provides an overview of downtown Tampa in the 1900s. He discusses the role of landmarks like the Tampa Theatre and the Florida Hotel in shaping downtown Tampa's vibrancy. Kite-Powell highlights the decline experienced in the 1970s and 1980s, and the city leaders' efforts toward redevelopment. He addresses accessibility issues that once limited downtown activity and notes how growing historical awareness spurred preservation efforts. Regarding the Tampa Theatre, Kite-Powell explores its origins as a silent theater and the later installation of air conditioning, underscoring its significance as a symbol of Tampa and a testament to successful preservation endeavors.
Keywords
Tampa Theatre, Seminole Theatre (Tampa Fla.), Park Theatre (Tampa Fla.), City planning, Historic theaters, Theater--Conservation and preservation, Cigar factories, Air conditioning, Maas Brothers (Department store), Lee Duncan (1918-2007)
Extent
00:51:53; 21 page transcript
Subject: geographic
Tampa (Fla.); Hyde Park (Fla.); Ybor City (Tampa, Fla.)
Language
English
Digital Date
2024
Media Type
Oral histories
Format
Digital Only
Identifier
tampa-theatre-ohp-kite-powell-rodney
Recommended Citation
Kite-Powell, Rodney, "Rodney Kite-Powell Oral History Interview" (2024). Tampa Theatre Oral History Collection. 22.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tampa_theatre_ohp/22
Rights Statement
