Connect with us

Create

A landmark reborn: The restored, renovated State Theatre to debut soon

Bill DeYoung

Published

on

Closed since 2018, the State Theatre building has been at 687 Central Ave. since 1924. New owner Kevin Chadwick says renovations are nearly complete. Photo: Bill DeYoung

St. Petersburg’s newest performing arts venue will most likely debut this spring.

It’s not new, exactly. The State Theatre closed in 2018, a concert hall beset by numerous problems, including fire code violations that significantly reduced its capacity, which severely undercut management’s ability to attract big-name acts.

By then, the State had been in a state of physical (and financial) decline for decades.

Real estate broker Kevin Chadwick then paid $2.1 million for the building at 687 Central Avenue. Chadwick says renovations are just about complete, and the “new” State Theatre might be ready for a late-April opening, as a multi-purpose venue for concerts and other performance events.

Although, he stresses, “The time frame is not as important as the end result.”

Kevin Chadwick

A second-generation St. Pete native, Chadwick remembers the State Theatre of his youth, one of the last first-run movie houses left standing downtown. It was transformed into a concert hall and bar in the 1980s, when the mall multiplex rendered single-screen theaters obsolete.

The State was built in 1924, as the Alexander National Bank, and had been re-designed for movies after World War II. It was listed on the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Chadwick had something specific in mind when he and architect Jack Bodziak began putting the 8,600-square-foot space under a magnifying glass.

“They renovations are extensive,” he says. “And they’re meaningful – anything that was added in the last 20 years, we’ve completely demoed out. Any of the garbage that’s been added. And everything that is being renovated is being done so with materials of the time frame of truly the Roaring ‘20s.”

The general contractor is Boyd Construction. Creative Arts Unlimited is bringing back the building’s original art deco look.

“Once we got in there, the infrastructure was in disrepair,” says operating partner Brandon Huskins. “It was ‘Well, if we want it to be great, we need to re-do this; we need to re-do that. And it all just added up to ‘Shoot, let’s just do the whole thing then.’

“Everything was gutted. The directive was, if it wasn’t original in the building, take it out.’”

The floor was completely removed, revealing the original 1924 8×8-foot, hand-crafted concrete tiles. Sections were damaged, however, but Chadwick and his crew were able to locate exact reproductions.

An 18-foot “blade sign” has already been fabricated for the State’s facade.

There will be a fully-restored bar, and plans call for partnerships with area restaurants for food service.

“The State Theatre has gone through a number of evolutions in its life, and I think this is going to be one of the nicest time periods that the theater has probably ever had,” Chadwick enthuses.

“I don’t think downtown St. Pete has ever been more raging, more roaring, than it is right now. I think we’re in one of the best times of St. Petersburg’s history. I want to restore this theater truly, authentically to its historical roots.”

According to Huskins, who has worked with the David A. Straz Center, Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Capitol Theatre, the building itself may be designer-retro, but the stage lights and sound system will be state-of-the-art, designed and installed by ESI, one of Florida’s top production companies (Ruth Eckerd, Amalie Arena).

Huskins estimates the approximately 800-seat venue will host 50 to 60 “name” concerts per year, “high-end stuff that maybe you would never have thought would play at the State Theatre,” and be available to local and regional organizations for rentals.

“We want to offer diverse programming that everyone in St. Pete, at some point, will have something to come and check out,” he says, adding that promoters have already begun making inquiries.

Corporate and company rentals will be encouraged, for meetings, conventions and other programming needs.

Chadwick, who operates the largest Keller Williams franchise in Florida with 10 offices in Tampa, 1,300 agents and $3.2 billion in annual revenue, bought the State through his Kevin L. Chadwick Family Trust (his children, he enjoys saying, are third-generation St. Pete natives).

“A legacy property is, in my hopes, a property that will remain in my family for the next hundred years,” he explains. “In 2024, it’s going to be its 100th anniversary. And I am building this theater to last the next hundred years. Not just for the sake of my family, but St. Pete needs a link to our history, and a place for adults to go, play and have fun.”

He declines to reveal how much money he’s putting towards the renovations. “To do something meaningful, and to do something significant,” he says, “it takes twice as long and twice as much money.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continue Reading
9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Avatar

    Clay Wisner

    February 13, 2020at8:05 pm

    It is so great to see one of St Pete’s classic buildings lovingly restored instead of torn down for “luxury apartments.” Bravo!!

    Can’t wait to attend a show during my next visit. I’m a native & still have family there.

  2. Avatar

    evelyn Rhodes

    February 13, 2020at1:47 pm

    Good Luck!

  3. Avatar

    Danny White

    February 13, 2020at11:35 am

    (Insert thunderous applause!👏🏽) I recall the State Theater was once the place to see films from the Blaxploitation movie era! It was a beauty in the raw, very similar in grandness like it’s sister across the bay, the Tampa Theater. Looking forward to catching some great, esoteric acts in the reborn space!

  4. Avatar

    Odette Bragg

    February 13, 2020at8:14 am

    Bravo, sir!

  5. Avatar

    Rebecca Jamin

    February 13, 2020at8:09 am

    I remember going to see Gone with the Wind, and mamy other movies there, in the early 60s. Sitting in the balcony.

  6. Avatar

    Ned Reed

    February 12, 2020at5:40 pm

    First time I went to the State theater was to see Steve Mcqueen’s first movie “The Blob”. That was 1958.
    St.Petersburg was a much different town then.The NY Yankees stayed at the Soreno hotel in the spring. They could walk a few blocks to Al Lang field. I am happy to see the State theater restored to its glory,saving a piece of vintage St.Petersburg.

  7. Avatar

    Ray Plato

    February 12, 2020at5:25 pm

    I recall the bldg,,1955 I worked as an usher there are

  8. Avatar

    Robin Young

    February 12, 2020at2:21 pm

    bravo and thank you! can’t wait to attend a performance! how i wish you had gotten your hands on the historic YMCA as well….tale of two buildings…with that one just falling apart under complete neglect. thank you for caring and demonstrating how it should be done.

  9. Avatar

    Oscar Marti

    February 12, 2020at11:42 am

    Great job Kevin. Since I arrived here 3 years ago I always wondered why such a beautiful building was left in such disrepair. I can’t wait to see it in April.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By posting a comment, I have read, understand and agree to the Posting Guidelines.

The St. Pete Catalyst

The Catalyst honors its name by aggregating & curating the sparks that propel the St Pete engine.  It is a modern news platform, powered by community sourced content and augmented with directed coverage.  Bring your news, your perspective and your spark to the St Pete Catalyst and take your seat at the table.

Email us: spark@stpetecatalyst.com

Subscribe for Free

Share with friend

Enter the details of the person you want to share this article with.