Ruth Eckerd Hall

How it came together

In November 1977, June Baumgardner Gelbart gave the City of Clearwater 38 acres in memory of Richard B. Baumgardner, on the condition that it become a performing arts center. Ground broke in December 1979, and the hall was dedicated on October 15, 1983, with the Suzuki Children of Japan giving the first official performance. It cost $14.5 million.

The hall is named for Ruth Eckerd, one of its founders and the wife of businessman Jack Eckerd. A nonprofit, Ruth Eckerd Hall Inc., owns and runs it.

The hall

The main auditorium seats 2,180 in continental rows with no center aisle. That means a middle seat is a polite shuffle past a dozen knees, so get there early if yours is deep in a row. The Florida Orchestra plays here regularly, and the rest of the calendar runs through Broadway tours, dance companies, comedians, pop stars and the veteran singers who spend the winter touring Florida. Pollstar has ranked it among the top five theaters of 2,500 seats or fewer since 2005.

A $19 million renovation between 2015 and 2019 added the Murray Theatre, a larger Grand Lobby with a cabaret theater, and more lounge space.

Causeway or bridge

The hall sits at 1111 McMullen Booth Road, about a mile north of both the Courtney Campbell Causeway and the Bayside Bridge.

• From Tampa. Take the Courtney Campbell west, turn right on McMullen Booth, then right on Ruth Eckerd Hall Drive.
• From St. Pete. Take I-275 north to Roosevelt Boulevard, follow the airport signs, cross the Bayside Bridge and turn right on Ruth Eckerd Hall Drive.
• From the north. East Lake Road becomes McMullen Booth Road. Turn left at the hall.

Self parking on site is free, with valet at most events for an extra fee, and rideshare pickup is between the two building entrances. The causeway backs up at rush hour, so leave Tampa early for a weeknight show.

The same nonprofit runs the Bilheimer Capitol Theatre downtown and The BayCare Sound on the waterfront. Orchestra nights are on the classical calendar, and every area date is on the St. Pete and Clearwater page.