Historic Beach Theatre targeting summer 2025 reopening after hurricanes caused setbacks
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - St. Pete Beach's 'The Beach Theatre' celebrated its 85th Anniversary on Sunday. Now, the theater that has sat on Corey Ave. since January 1940 has a reopening date.
"The Beach Theatre used to be a cinema and for a while it only did the Rocky Horror Picture show like once a week," owner Hannah Hockman said.
The backstory:
In 2012, it closed down unexpectedly when its owner passed away.

The Beach Theatre has been closed since 2012 and was in rough shape when Hannah Hockman took ownership, then launched a revitalization project.
"I've always been interested in this property. I love this building. I went under contract to purchase it back on November 29, 2023," Hockman said.
PREVIOUS: Iconic Beach Theatre nearing comeback in St. Pete Beach
In February 2024, Hockman got the keys to the property at just 25 years old.
"I've kind of always been a theatre kid. I've transitioned more to the director side as I got to be an adult," she said.

Hannah Hockman is working to restore The Beach Theatre on St. Pete Beach. (Courtesy: Hannah Hockman.)
What's next:
Hockman has big plans for the space.
"We're going to do something different. We're going to do cinema and live performances and also some concerts. We also have a secondary performance area in our cabaret space for smaller events too," she said.
The journey to get to its current smooth flooring and wooden stage has been a bit rough.

More than a dozen years after closing, The Beach Theatre on St. Pete Beach is under new ownership and is being revitalized.
"Since we started renovations, we went through three hurricanes: Hurricane Debby, Helene, and Milton," Hockman said.
Hurricane Helene brought 6 feet of storm surge into the theater portion and 3 feet into the lobby.
"A couple of days before Helene had hit, we had taken up the original foundation in hopes of pouring the new floor the day of Helene," she said. "So we had 18 truckloads of fresh dirt in here the day before Helene hit and so it was a mud pit in here for a while, especially with our sloped floors."

The Beach Theatre's revitalization project hit a setback when Hurricane Helene brought storm surge to St. Pete Beach. (Courtesy: Hannah Hockman.)
Winds from Milton caused even more damage.
"Milton hit our back wall pretty good. But once it blew out the back wall, it actually offered great ventilation to dry out all of the mud that was here," Hockman said.

Hurricane Milton caused more damage to The Beach Theatre. (Courtesy: Hannah Hockman.)
Hockman said it's only up from here. On Sunday, she hosted an 85th anniversary celebration for the community.

The Beach Theatre celebrated its 85th anniversary on Sunday.
"We've launched our ticketing service today and we have some goodies to give out. Some stickers and friendship bracelets," she said.

The Beach Theatre's reopening is set for July 18, 2025.
The Beach Theatre's grand reopening is set for July 18. There will be a party and a showing of a locally produced documentary that highlights the theater's history and renovation process. For more information, click here.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
- Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
- Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
- Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
- Download the SkyTower Radar app
- Sign up for FOX 13’s daily newsletter