The Brief
- The largely square-shaped Straz Center will get a curve that follows the river for more events and performances right on the Riverwalk.
- The $80 million expansion at the performing arts center gets $25 million from property taxes collected in the area.
- The work will also include remodeling the large lobby in the center’s Morsani Hall.
TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa has seen many groundbreakings, but this one at the Straz Center promises transformation. The largely square-shaped Straz Center will get a curve that follows the river for more events and performances right on the Riverwalk.
“It will become the new icon, I think, of arts in Tampa,” said Paul Westlake of the architectural firm DLR.
By the numbers:
The $80 million expansion at the performing arts center gets $25 million from property taxes collected in the area. It was approved unanimously by Tampa City Council in 2021. Some said public money shouldn’t be spent on sports stadiums, but Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the arts are different.…