The Grand Lobby is home to the Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton Cabaret Theatre, where
Ruth Eckerd Hall students perform on the Holt Family Stage.
When it opened in 1984, Ruth Eckerd Hall
became the city of Clearwater’s largest cultural
institution. It was an immediate success and has
continued to grow over the years. Designed by
the prestigious Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
on land donated by the Kapok Tree Restaurant, much of the hall’s
success is due to its fantastic sight lines and near perfect acoustics.
The industry trade publication Pollstar in 2019 named the hall
the No. 1 venue in Tampa Bay, the No. 3 in Florida, the No. 6 in the
United States and the No. 8 in the world of theater venues of 2,500
seats or less. This nonprofit organization manages and operates
the City of Clearwater-owned 2,200-seat Ruth Eckerd Hall, the
200-seat Murray Theatre, the 250-person capacity ballroom, the
Margarete Heye Great Room, the Marcia P. Hoffman School of the
Arts, the 750-seat Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in
downtown Clearwater and Ruth Eckerd Hall on the Road concerts
and events.
46 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020