State Theatre (St. Petersburg, Florida) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Floridian Social Club

Exterior view of venue (c.2008)
Former names	State Theatre (1950-2020)
Address	687 Central Ave N St. Petersburg, FL 33701-3625
Location	Downtown St. Petersburg
Owner	Kevin Chadwick
Capacity	800
Construction
Opened	May 1, 1950 (1950-05-01)
Renovated	1990 2017-20
Reopened	February 5, 2021 (2021-02-05)
Architect	Archie Parrish
Building details
General information
Renovated	September 2018-February 2020
Renovation cost	$1 million
Renovating team
Architect	John A. Bodziak
Other designers	Creative Arts Unlimited ESI
Main contractor	Boyd Construction

The Floridian Social Club is a cool place in St. Petersburg, Florida, where you can go to see live music and shows. It used to be called the State Theatre. This building has a special look called Beaux-Arts style, which means it has a grand, classic design.

The venue had to close in 2017 because of some safety rules about fire. But don't worry, it was bought in 2018, and work began to fix it up. Even though the repairs were finished, it couldn't open right away because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, it finally reopened in February 2021!

In 1991, the building was added to a special list called The St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important part of the city's history.

History of the Floridian Social Club

The building that is now the Floridian Social Club was first built in 1924. It started as a big bank called Alexander National Bank. A famous architect named Neel Reid designed it. At the time, it was one of the biggest banks in St. Petersburg, covering about 6,000 square feet. The bank closed in 1926 after its owner, Jacob Alexander, passed away.

For a short time in 1927, a company that sold refrigerators used the building. But by 1928, it was empty. Another bank, The Fidelity Bank and Trust Company, bought it in 1929. However, the stock market crashed later that year, which caused big money problems for many businesses. Like most banks in St. Petersburg, Fidelity Bank had to close.

After the bank closed in 1931, the building was used by different small offices. Then, in 1949, it was completely changed by an architect named Archie Parrish. He turned it into the State Theatre, a place for movies and shows.

In November 2016, the building had a safety check and failed. It had 30 problems with fire safety rules. The owners worked to fix these issues. By September 2017, they hired John A. Bodziak to help redesign the space to meet the fire safety rules.

After another check, the fire department said the theater could only hold 431 people, instead of the 705 it used to hold. This was a big problem for the owners. They had to cancel many concerts and move them to other places, which cost them a lot of money.

Bodziak redesigned the theater again to allow more people, increasing the capacity to 590. Even with these changes, the owners decided to sell the building in December 2017. It was bought by a real estate broker named Kevin Chadwick for $2.1 million.

The plan was to reopen in September 2018 with a concert by Andy Grammer, but this didn't happen. Instead, Kevin Chadwick decided to make even bigger renovations to the building.

The construction finished in February 2020. The theater could now hold up to 800 people! In April 2020, Chadwick announced the new name: the "Floridian Social Club." Today, this newly remodeled venue hosts concerts for many different music artists, from local bands to national stars, and also holds special events.

What the Building Looks Like

The front of the Floridian Social Club building is very grand and balanced. It has three main sections, separated by tall, flat columns that look like they're made of stacked blocks. These columns have fancy tops with scroll designs.

Above the main part of the building, there's a decorative ledge. On top of that, there's a wall divided into three sections, matching the ones below. Each of the three main sections has two tall, fancy columns that hold up a curved arch. In the middle of each arch, there's a special stone with a leaf design.

Between the arches and the flat columns, you can see a cool carving of an eagle. When the building was changed into a theater in 1949, the original windows were removed. The side openings were filled in, and a new, modern sign was added above the theater doors in the middle.

Performers Who Have Played Here

Many famous and talented artists have performed at this venue over the years. Here are some of them: