The exterior of the building hasn’t changed since it opened in 1927, but part of the inside is getting a new look and purpose.
A bill introduced to City Council would authorize an amendment to the lease agreement between the city and the Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center Inc., the nonprofit that manages and programs the venue owned by the city.
The amendment would allow creation of what’s called in the legislation a “hospitality suite for performing artists.”
According to Numa Saisselin, Florida Theatre president, that could be a bit of an overstatement.
“The reality may be somewhat less exotic,” he said.
The plan is to make part of the west end of the second floor a space where performers and crew members can relax and have a bite to eat before they go on stage.
Saisselin said the theater’s 1920s-era dressing rooms can’t meet the needs and wants of 21st-century entertainers.
“This building was designed when performers and productions were much smaller,” he said.
If the plan is approved, the space would get a new paint job and floor covering. Sofas, tables and chairs would be added, along with a television.
Restrooms already are in place and there are no plans to add any facility for food preparation. The theater’s caterers will continue to deliver and serve food to the entertainers, said Saisselin.
The project will have a small budget, yet to be determined, and the work will be done by theater staff.
Renovation began about a year ago on the fourth and sixth floors of the building to create small private offices that can be rented to provide additional income for the nonprofit.
Saisselin said the sixth floor is nearing completion and when there’s a new paint job and carpet is installed, the space will be ready for potential tenants to take a tour.
“What we’re building will be an ideal space for a start-up, small business or a solo practitioner,” he said.
Historical note: Soon after he passed The Florida Bar exam, attorney Eddie Farah leased his first law office in the Florida Theatre Building, where he practiced part-time while working in his family’s grocery store.
The new offices aren’t designed or intended to compete with the established businesses at EverBank Center and Wells Fargo Center that lease small private offices with some amenities, such as a receptionist.
“That’s for people who need — and can afford — Class A office space,” said Saisselin. “What we’re doing is very basic. It’s clean and affordable.”
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