Mahaffey Theater facts for kids
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| Address | 400 First Street South St. Petersburg, Florida United States |
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| Coordinates | 27°46′2″N 82°37′55″W / 27.76722°N 82.63194°W |
| Owner | City of St. Petersburg |
| Operator | Big3 Entertainment Group |
| Type | Performing arts center |
| Capacity | 2,031 |
| Opened | May 6, 1965 |
The Mahaffey Theater – Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts is a fantastic place to see shows in St. Petersburg, Florida. It's located right by the water in downtown St. Petersburg. This theater first opened its doors on May 6, 1965.
It has 2,031 seats, designed in a special European box style. From inside, you can enjoy beautiful views of Tampa Bay. The Mahaffey Theater is also very close to cool museums like the Salvador Dalí Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.
The theater hosts many different kinds of shows. You can see Broadway plays, classical music, pop and rock concerts, country music, jazz, comedy, and dance performances. The Florida Orchestra often performs here too. The Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts helps school children experience live shows through a program called 'Class Acts'.
History of The Mahaffey Theater
The Mahaffey Theater first opened in May 1965. It was part of a bigger entertainment area called the Bayfront Center. The theater had its first updates in 1987 and 1988.
In 2004, a building next to it, the Bayfront Arena, was taken down. This made way for a big improvement project for the Mahaffey Theater. The project cost $20 million. It included fixing up a huge part of the building, about 95,000 square feet.
They also replaced important systems like plumbing and electricity. A new, tall glass entrance was added, making the building look very modern. This new part also brought a bigger lobby, new elevators, and more restrooms. The whole building got a new roof and fresh outside walls.
The nearby parking garage also got an elevator, and the parking lot and sidewalks were improved. The building was renamed The Mahaffey Theater for the Performing Arts. This was to honor a local family who helped pay for the improvements.
In 2007, Progress Energy and the city of St. Petersburg made a deal. They decided to rename the theater and the area around it the Progress Energy Center for the Arts. This complex included The Mahaffey Theater, the offices of the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts, a park, and the Salvador Dalí Museum.
Later, in 2013, Progress Energy joined with Duke Energy. Because of this, the facility's name changed again to the Duke Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater. Since 2011, there have been more updates to the theater. Bill Edwards, who runs Big3 Entertainment, invested $4 million in improvements and promotions.
In October 2023, a fancy restaurant called Sonata opened inside the Mahaffey. It is located in a part of the theater's lobby. The Mahaffey Theater is currently managed by Big3 Entertainment Group. This company also owns Big3 Records and Big3 Studios.
Exciting Events at The Mahaffey
The Mahaffey Theater has hosted many important and fun events over the years. In 1996, it was the location for a big debate between two important political leaders, Al Gore and Jack Kemp.
In 2003, the theater held 234 different shows. These shows brought in 169,000 people who bought tickets. Besides the Florida Orchestra performances, some of the most popular shows included Riverdance. This show ran for five days and attracted nearly 6,000 people.
The Miss Florida Pageant was also very popular, bringing in over 2,600 people over three days. Even an Elvis' Birthday Bash was a hit, with over 1,200 people attending.
In 2007, the Mahaffey was chosen to host a nationally televised debate for presidential candidates from the Republican Party. It was first planned for September 17, but many candidates had other plans. So, the debate actually took place later, on November 28, 2007.
