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Manhattan Casino's revival almost complete

The Manhattan Casino, which is being redesigned in its original form, is set to reopen soon.

By JON WILSON
Published September 11, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - The spirit rises with it.

After recent years as a dull bunker, the iconic Manhattan Casino is approaching the end stages of its reconstruction - and the early reviews are good.

The renewed Manhattan, 642 22nd Street S, looks a lot like the 1925 building that served as a major social venue for the segregation era's African-American community.

Its memory remains sharply drawn among those who went there to hear a nation's best musicians, dance to the big bands, attend debutante parties or sway to gospel sounds.

Rosalie Peck, a regular attendee during the Manhattan's heyday, parked Thursday at the old Sno-Peak drive-up property across from the casino. She looked at window placement and noticed sections of the outside walls that stick out in relief.

"The thing that I saw that touched me the most in terms of nostalgia is that they are redesigning the building in its original form, with its architecture," Peck said.

"I could almost hear music coming from upstairs," she said.

Construction should finish in October, maybe November, said Goliath Davis, deputy mayor for Midtown.

Some time after that, a grand re-opening will take place. A date has not been set.

"It looks like it's coming along really well. It is beginning to take the shape of what was once there before, and that is refreshing to see that come back," said Parisrice Robinson, president of the 22nd Street Redevelopment Corp.

A search continues for business tenants to occupy the ground floor. The second floor will remain a community domain, as it was when a ballroom and stage ruled.

Sheryl Harvey, the redevelopment agency's Main Street manager, said the construction has created community buzz.

People stop at the redevelopment office, Harvey said, and muse: "I wonder what some of the first events are going to be," or "Do you think we can get this person or that person back to play?"

The city-owned property is a designated historic site. Its restoration project is costing about $2-million. Planners, after some community prodding, made sure the restored building would be as true as possible to the original.

A difference is a glassy structure on the north end. It will contain an elevator, stairway and utility equipment.

The Manhattan renovation is viewed as a major component in the revival of 22nd Street.

The city also owns the Sno-Peak property, having purchased it in July for $175,000. It is not clear what the tract's future will be. In the old days, music fans who didn't have Manhattan tickets parked in the massive lot, listening to big band sounds spill out the windows.

[Last modified September 11, 2005, 01:12:04]