Address:
Phone:
Directions:
- From I-275 in St. Petersburg, take the Fifth Avenue N. exit and head west.
- Continue west to 66th Street N.; turn left on 66th St. N.
- 66th Street N. will veer left and become Pasadena Avenue; continue on Pasadena Avenue to St. Pete Beach.
- After crossing the draw bridge, take a left on to Boca Ciega Drive.
- Turn right on Corey Avenue; the theater will be on the right.
Historic Beach Theatre Continues to Screen Mainstream, Independent Movies:
Beach Theatre was built in 1939 and has become a landmark in the Tampa Bay area. Believed to be the first theater on the Florida Gulf Coast equipped for sound, the original theater seated more than 500 and opened its doors in January 1940 with a screening of Dust Be My Destiny starring Precilla Lane.
Beach Theatre was among the first buildings erected on Corey Avenue, which once was the main thoroughfare to reach St. Pete Beach. Other businesses popped up around the theater. The theater was forced to go on an 18-month hiatus not long after its opening when German U-boats sighted off the coast forced mandatory blackouts.
Aside from that interruption, the theater has continued operations, though its ownership has changed hands from time to time. The current owner, screenwriter Michael France, purchased the theater in 2007.
Beach Theatre regularly screens both Hollywood mainstream movies as well as independent ventures. Special events include children’s matinees, Friday Night Cult Flicks, Saturday night screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and various community events.