Record gift puts a new name in the stars at Tampa Theatre

The stars above Tampa Theatre will soon carry a new name after the historic movie palace received the largest individual donation in its century-long history.

Tara Ruberg made the undisclosed gift to the nonprofit theater’s $30 million Second Century Campaign, which will fund restoration, accessibility and expansion projects. In recognition of the donation, the twinkling ceiling inside the Duncan Auditorium will be named the Tara & David Ruberg Night Sky, honoring Ruberg and her late husband, according to a statement. 

The theater did not disclose the value of the gift or how much the campaign has raised to date.

“What moves me most about Tara’s gift isn’t the size of it — though it is the largest individual gift in our history — it’s what it says about what she values,” Devin Dominguez, the theater’s vice president and development director, says in the theater’s Tuesday announcement. “She sees this theatre the way we do: as something worth carrying into its next hundred years.”

Architect John Eberson designed Tampa Theatre as an “atmospheric” movie palace, using Mediterranean-inspired architecture and a ceiling made to resemble a night sky. The downtown landmark opened in 1926 and is owned by the city of Tampa and operated by the nonprofit Tampa Theatre Foundation.

Construction is underway to restore the historic auditorium and add 3,000 square feet of education space. Future campaign projects include accessibility upgrades to the stage and backstage areas, a full restoration of the theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ and the conversion of second-floor office space above the marquee into a new gathering and event venue called the Peacock Room.

The Wurlitzer dates to the theater’s silent-film era and continues to be used for live accompaniment and other performances.

“These next projects are about access and experience,” Tampa Theatre President and CEO George Levesque says in the announcement. “They will allow more people to fully participate in everything Tampa Theatre has to offer, preserve one of our most treasured historic features, and create beautiful new spaces for our community to gather.”

The Ruberg gift represents a major milestone for the campaign as Tampa Theatre begins its second century in operation. Once the ceiling is formally named, generations of moviegoers will watch films beneath the Tara & David Ruberg Night Sky.