Tampa Theatre Oral History Collection
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Interviewer
Andy Huse
Publication Date
Summer 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, Park Theatre, Publix Theatres, Hyde Park, Ybor City, downtown Tampa, redevelopment, historic theaters, historic theater preservation, cigar factory, air conditioning, The Morrison Luxury Apartments, Maas Brothers, Lee Duncan (1918-2007)
Extent
00:51:53; 21-page transcript
Subject: geographic
Hyde Park (Fla.), Ybor City (Fla.), Downtown Tampa (Fla.), Tampa, (Fla.)
Language
English
Media Type
Oral history
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
