The opening of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas in 1955 at the Florida Theatre is probably the closest downtown St. Pete has had to a white Christmas! Opened in 1926, the spectacular Florida Theatre was fashioned in the Mediterranean style with its interior decorated as a Spanish courtyard. Beautiful tapestries, oil paintings of Spanish galleons, Spanish suits of armor and coats of arms filled the theatre. Located on 5th Street between Central and 1st Avenue South, the Florida Theatre could seat 2,300 people and featured a rooftop garden and modern air conditioning! Elvis Presley performed three shows at the Florida Theatre in 1956 and St. Pete’s youth stood in line for hours to be the first to see the debut of the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night in 1964. The Florida Theatre was sold in 1967 and was demolished in 1968 to make way for a bank and parking lot. The beloved theatre did not go peacefully. At first the wrecking ball bounced off the building and crashed to the street before demolition was completed.
Find more historical photos like this on the St. Petersburg Museum of History website: spmoh.com.
