St. Pete residents chime in on the future of the historic Manhattan Casino
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Newswire
Published: Nov 2, 2022

St. Petersburg residents shared their thoughts Tuesday evening with city officials on what they believe the future should hold for the Manhattan Casino.

The city will not renew its existing lease for the Callaloo Finance Group at the historic venue, located at 642 22nd St. S. It will soon temporarily close, and capital improvements will be made, according to the city.

Mayor Ken Welch told the group of more than 150 in-person attendees and the more than 70 virtual attendees that the Manhattan Casino has a “proud” history and that they were going to “determine what progress should look like” for the building.

The conversation is happening as 22nd Street S — nicknamed The Deuces — prepares for a wave of change. If zoning changes are approved, the corridor could see a flurry of mixed-use development. The long-awaited Sankofa Project lies across from the casino and, when complete, will bring residential and commercial projects to the area.

“It is part of St. Pete history worth preserving, especially considering how many African American landmarks have been lost forever in our city,” Welch said.

Questions posed to attendees received fairly split opinions, while others revealed a more uniform vision. In response to being asked if the casino should be a space of the arts — a museum, gallery space, artist studios, etc. — 25% strongly disagreed, 29% disagreed, 24% agreed and 23% strongly agreed.

When asked if they believed the Manhattan Casino should have a restaurant or food concept space, 52% strongly agreed and 38% agreed.

Residents were also asked if they thought the Manhattan Casino should have retail or event space for lease, if it should have space for social services, and if it should have the provision of city satellite offices to access city services. They were also tasked with considering if the casino should be city operated, like the Coliseum and Sunken Gardens or if the city should partner with an operator, like the Mahaffey Theater.

Once the polls were done, attendees participated in a roundtable discussion on their ideas and aspirations for the site. Results from the community conversation are expected to be released by Dec. 1. Brian Caper, economic and workforce development director, said the city will use the results from these conversations to inform their next steps.

Many artists played at the Manhattan Casino from the 1930s to the 1960s, including Louis Armstrong, Little Richard, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and Etta James. The dance hall was part of the Chitlin’ Circuit — a collection of U.S. venues providing spaces for African American musicians and entertainers. The casino closed in 1968.

In 1994, city council made Manhattan Casino a historic landmark, and in 2002, the city purchased the property. It was heavily remodeled and has had several attempts to revitalize the space.

The two-story building is just over 12,100 square feet. It has been used as a dance hall, restaurant, food hall and event space. The development sits on an entire block on 22nd Street S and has 55 parking spaces.

The downstairs space is currently structured to accommodate a multipurpose food venue. The upstairs has a ballroom space, a raised stage with professional lighting and sound equipment and a dolly service to the downstairs kitchens.