Real estate lifer Kevin Chadwick, whose family trust purchased the old State Theatre in 2018 for $2.1 million, told Tampa Bay Business Journal that he’s taken the property at 687 Central Ave. as far as his background will allow.
In past conversations with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Chadwick would not disclose how much he put into the full, and gorgeous, renovation of the old State Theatre (St. Pete Catalyst puts the figure at $4 million). The venue was renamed in April 2020 and opened as Floridian Social Club in February 2021. The asking price for the property is also not public.
The building, which was built in 1924, has a capacity of just under 800, including about 200 in the upstairs balcony. The sale includes the business, plus the wine, liquor and beer license. It’s the last place to see live music on the St. Pete 600 block that used to be a hotspot for local and national acts.
Floridian Social recently celebrated a full-circle moment when Laura Jane Grace—who fronts Against Me!, a band that played some of its best shows at State Theatre—returned to play a solo show.
Chadwick—who's also in the process of selling his $7.8 million St. Pete home—told TBBJ that he’s really proud of what he built, but realized that it has so much potential beyond him, adding that, “It’s time to really hand it off to an owner-operator.”
Shawn Kyle, Director of Programming & Entertainment at the Floridian Social since April 2022, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he and his team have turned the venue back into a profitable and nationally-respected live music venue—and that the team plans to continue that effort for as long as current or future ownership will let them. Kyle estimated that he's been involved with more than 400 shows in his time at Floridian, and put more than 900 bands on that stage.
Besides Grace, he's worked with local and national promoters to brings bands like They Hate Change, Drive By Truckers, The Revivalists, Grouplove, Gregory Porter and more to the stage. Kyle told CL he's got bands booked through July of next year.
“It would be a shame if it sold and becomes anything aside from an independent live music venue,” he added.
This is a developing post.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
