Tampa Theatre, Tampa’s historic and majestic movie palace, was bestowed on July 7 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a national award from the League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT). Tampa Theatre was named LHAT’s Outstanding Historic Theatre for 2024. In addition, John Bell, Tampa Theatre’s CEO, received the Joseph Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution.
The Outstanding Historic Theatre Award recognizes a theater that demonstrates excellence through its community impact, quality of programs and services and quality of the restoration or rehabilitation of its historic structure. According to the nomination requirements, “an award-winning theatre will have demonstrated excellence through significant achievement, the impact of its services and breadth of populations served and the length of time and/or intensity of its activities.”
Bell, who has served as president and CEO of Tampa Theatre since 1985, was nominated for the Joseph Rosenberg Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution by the Tampa Theatre staff and board of directors, with letters of support from numerous LHAT colleagues, fellow arts leaders in the Tampa Bay area as well as state and local elected officials. The Outstanding Individual Contribution award recognizes someone who demonstrates vision, dedication, selflessness and excellence through their contribution to historic theaters and their communities as a volunteer, board member, patron, donor, service provider, staff member or historic theater advocate at large.
“Although I am honored, it should be me presenting the league with some sort of an award to honor this group for everything it has meant to me. Because I can assure you that without this brilliant group of people — whom I have relied upon for advice and support for 40 years — I would not be standing here today,” said Bell at the ceremony.
Founded in 1976, the League of Historic American Theatres is a nonprofit organization with the main purpose of sustaining historic theaters across North America for the benefit of their communities and future generations. The league defines an eligible historic theater as one that is at least 50 years old, is an architecturally significant structure deemed worthy of preservation, has played an important role in the history of American stage and screen and/or can be used as a performing arts facility.
Tampa Theatre was built in 1926. It hosts more than 700 programs each year.
Tampa Theatre is located at 711 N. Franklin St. in Tampa. For more information, please visit www.tampatheatre.org.
