Palladium Theater

This striking building is the Palladium Theater, which was built in 1925 as the First Church of Christ, Scientist, whose congregation moved to its current location in the 1990s. The theater hosts a variety of musical and stage performances in its 815-seat auditorium and its smaller space called the Side Door Cabaret. Architect Henry Lovewell Cheney designed the building in the Romanesque Revival style, modeling it after the Foundlin Hospital in Florence, Italy (that was the work of famous Italian architect, Brunelleschi). Notable features of the theater include a terra cotta roof, an arched portico with Corinthian columns, and a high vaulted ceiling. It is a contributing property of the North Shore Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The company that built First Church of Christ Scientist was the George A. Fuller Construction company, which is known for building the famous Flatiron Building in New York City (its original name was the Fuller Building), the U.S. Supreme Court, the Lincoln Memorial, and other well-known buildings. The Romanesque Revival style was an appropriate choice for the church as it was popular in the South for churches, banks and other buildings for evoking strength and stability.

By the late 1990s, three large entertainment venues had opened in Tampa but they were not available for local performers and community groups. In 1998, a group of local philanthropists recognized this issue and acquired the church for $575,000 with the intent to convert it into an affordable performing art center. The congregation decided to sell the church because it was too expensive to maintain and membership had decreased as well. The church was renovated into a theater and the first show, a performance by the Florida Orchestra, occurred on February 14, 1998. In 2007, the theater was donated to St. Petersburg College, which operates it and also uses the building for college-related purposes.

"About Us." Palladium Theater. Accessed November 9, 2023. https://mypalladium.org/about-2.

"The Palladium at St. Petersburg College." Palladium Theater. https://web.archive.org/web/20081203230339/http://www.mypalladium.org/forms/PalladiumHistory.pdf.

Wilborn, Paul. "Palladium's 25-Year History Sets the state for a Very Exciting Future." Palladium Theater. November 9, 2023. https://mypalladium.org/palladiums-25-year-history-sets-the-stage-for-a-very-exciting-future.