The Historic State Theatre was originally built as a bank.
The concert hall is the old lobby area with the high ceilings creating awesome acoustics in a historic setting. It has been known as one of the best places to see live music in the Bay area. The décor is like the New York City Nightclubs of the 1980s with flat black interiors and a well-lit 24 x 17 stage.
The State Theatre hosts concerts ranging from Punk, Ska, Rock, Indie, Jazz, Pop, Hardcore Heavy Metal, & more. They are also a proponent of the local scene with many Bay area bands playing at this venue.
The State Theatre architecture is Beaux Arts Style and it maintains that classic look for a performance hall.
Downtown St. Petersburg usually shuts down around 6:00pm but the State Theatre draws patrons as eclectic and diverse as their featured Music Artists, from all around the Bay area. One of the many draws for the State Theatre is the reasonable ticket price for the National Acts in an intimate setting. The State Theatre has a total capacity of 705 persons with 255 being in the balcony section.
To Purchase Tickets To a Show, call the Box Office at 727-895-3045. They accept most major credit cards and due to the smaller venue size it would be wise to purchase tickets in advance, especially for the National Acts. They can accommodate guests in wheelchairs and we suggest calling prior to the day of the show for more information on wheelchair accessibility and handi-cap parking. The State Theatre does not have any parking facilities but there are plenty of FREE parking spaces down Central Avenue.
The State Theatre is a non-smoking facility but they do allow you to go outside the building to smoke, and then come back in to the event. There is a strange no-reentry law for patrons under 21. If you are under 21 years old and are at a place that serves alcohol, you cannot leave a building then come back in. The best advice we have for this situation is if you are going to smoke, wait until you are 21 years old.
The facility has 4 full bars set up in the venue along with a Balcony VIP Bar. They are known for their No Drugs or Under Age Drinking policy so don’t try. The State Theatre has a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system and during their shows they are very Loud and Proud.
History of the Structure
The State Theatre structure was constructed in 1924 as one of the outstanding examples of the Beaux-Arts style Architecture of its day. The 6,000 square foot building was one of the largest banks in the St. Petersburg area. The original user was the Alexander National Bank, which only lasted 2 years until Jacob Alexander died in December of 1926.
The Fidelity Bank and Trust Company purchased the building in July of 1929. After the stock market crash in October of that same year it became too much for the local economy and like most banks of the day the Fidelity Bank and Trust Company closed their doors. The building was used for a succession of small office users until 1949 when it was remodeled into the State Theatre.