Judith Lisi is the president of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, which she joined on Oct. 1, 1992. She previously served as Executive Director of the prestigious Shubert Performing Arts Center in New Haven, Conn., where, among her many achievements, she founded the Shubert Opera Company in collaboration with the Yale School of Music and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and produced 40 full-scale productions.
In 1995, three years after joining the Straz Center, she founded Opera Tampa and has produced nearly 50 full-scale productions and presented concerts by such opera luminaries as Renée Fleming, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Deborah Voight.
Lisi holds a B.A. from Sacred Heart University, an M.A. in theater and communication arts from St. Louis University, pursued doctoral coursework in theater at the University of Minnesota and studied opera at The Juilliard School of Music and with the Metropolitan Opera.
In 2008, Lisi received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Performing Arts. In 2012, the Broadway League bestowed the Distinguished Lifetime Service Award on Lisi for her years of outstanding leadership. In 2013, Lisi was honored with the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Woman of Influence Award, the Jewish National Fund’s Lawrence D. Wasser Humanitarian Award, Tampa Bay Magazine’s Tip of the Hat Award and was named the 2015 Citizen of the Year by the Economic Club of Tampa. Lisi is the Preserve Vision Florida, Inc.’s 2018 Person of Vision Award recipient and in April 2018 was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame.
Welcome the beginning of the holiday season with the opening of Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park presented by Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, November 16. Remarks begin at 5pm followed by the official ribbon cutting at 5:30pm. Enjoy free ice skating from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, stop by the local boutiques nestled in the Shops of Winter Village, sample holiday treats in the Café, take in the sights and sounds of the holidays under the palm trees, and stick around as Tampa Theatre presents a free screening of “Home Alone” made possible by the F.E. Lykes Foundation. Learn more about the event at WinterVillageTampa.com.
Join us on November 29th at Armature Works as we celebrate businesses, organizations, individuals, events, and projects that have made significant contributions toward creating a unique, vibrant, and diverse downtown environment – and have made a lasting, positive impact on Downtown Tampa. Kari Goetz, Vice President of External Relations for the Florida Aquarium, returns at Emcee for this fun and honorable event. Each year an awards jury representing a cross-section of Downtown constituencies selects award winners honoring the leadership, innovation, hard work, talent and community spirit. The evening’s program includes networking, dinner, and an awards ceremony where winners will be announced.
Register to join the celebration today!
MEET THE FINALISTS
Activating Spaces:
Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority Pocket Parks Phase 1 Street Car Live by GMF Downtown Crawlers
Arts & Culture:
Tampa Museum’s Love is Calling Exhibit The History Center’s New Pirate Ship Exhibit Pep Rally Inc.
Collaboration:
Street Car by HART 2018 Commuter Challenge Week Madame Fortune Taylor Bridge Historical Marker Ceremony and Unveiling
Experience:
Two Wheel Bike Valet Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Franklin Street Block Party 2018 Riverfest
Landmark:
Tampa Theatre Armature Works The Hall
Marketplace:
Don Me Now Duckweed Maven Market Channel District
Private Sector:
Wilson Company Collective – Gin Joint SHUFFLE – The Heights Shuffleboard Society Tampa Bay Fiber
Public Sector:
Julian B Lane Riverfront Park Florida Department of Transportation- District Seven Jackson Street Rampello K-8 Downtown Partnership School
Person of The Year:
Leo Rodgers Abbey Dohring John Bell
The Tampa Bay Rays 2020 Movement has updated their website with more video and content to allow partners to spread the word and complete the mission of bringing the Rays to Tampa.
Tampa Bay Rays 2020 is a privately funded non-profit organization dedicated to bringing a new Rays ballpark to Tampa. Led by some of Tampa’s most forward thinking business and community leaders, our organization is the catalyst that will ensure the ballpark becomes a reality. America’s favorite pastime needs a home for generations to come in one of the country’s fastest growing cities.
Show your support by joining the movement at https://tampabayrays2020.com/
Thursday’s groundbreaking for 815 — which will include 21- and 26-story apartment towers on top of street-level retail — was a symbolic but significant one. Work has been underway on the site, adjacent to the Tampa Bay History Center on what was previously Amalie Arena’s blue lot, for months.
815 is the first residential building to break ground in Water Street, a $3 billion mixed-use development that spans more than 50 acres between the Channel district and the central business district. Its retail will include a 25,000-square-foot “wellness-based grocer” along Channelside Drive, though SPP has yet to reveal what grocer will occupy the space. Its landscaping will redefine the entrance to the Tampa Riverwalk, and SPP is looking for public art for that space as well.
The two towers will contain a total of 420 units: 223 in the 21-story tower and 197 units in the 26-story tower, said Rebecca Snyder, senior vice president of development at SPP.
815 will include a range of sizes and monthly rents, starting at a level that would be affordable for a household income of $59,000, Snyder said. The units will range from 545-square-foot studios to 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom units.
When the building was approved by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, the 26-story tower was described as condos. While the buildings will open as rentals, Nozar said they will be built to condominium-grade finishes, with ceiling-to-floor glass and expansive balconies, so they could eventually convert to for-sale units.
“As 815 Water Street breaks ground, SPP CEO James Nozar is already looking to the future” – Tampa Bay Business Journal (subscription required)
A new note has been added to ENCORE! Tampa, an affordable housing development in downtown Tampa.
The Tempo, a seven-story building featuring 203 units of one, two, three, and four-bedroom apartments, is set to start moving residents in on the first few floors this month as construction on the remainder of the building is completed.
The Tempo features affordable and market-rate units with an average rent of $874 throughout the building.
Located at 1102 Ray Charles Boulevard in Tampa, The Tempo is the latest addition to ENCORE! Tampa, a 12-block mixed-use community on the northern edge of downtown that replaced the public housing community Central Park Village. Certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) development, ENCORE! Tampa includes nearly 800 units across four buildings, each named to honor Tampa’s historic music past: Ella, Reed, Trio, and Tempo.
“The Tempo opens, brings more affordable apartments to Downtown Tampa” – 83 Degrees Media
There is so much demand for condominiums in Riverwalk Place that its developers say they are scratching long-standing plans to combine office and residential space in one tower and will build only condos above retail and restaurant space.
It is a major departure from the original plans for the tower, which was proposed as a pioneering project for Tampa’s urban core — stacking residential units on top of office space and parking. One of the development partners in the project, Feldman Equities LLC, specializes in office space and hired an in-house commercial real estate broker to oversee the leasing and marketing of the office space within Riverwalk Place.
The commercial real estate market in downtown Tampa — for both office space and condominiums — is far more competitive now than it was when Feldman first proposed Riverwalk Place. New condos are proposed in downtown’s Channel district and within Water Street Tampa, and Water Street recently went public with plans to begin speculative construction on an office tower in early 2019.
The developer didn’t say exactly how many condos Riverwalk Place would now include, only that it would be more than 200 units. Those units are priced from the $600,000s to $2 million.
The 53-story tower, at Brorein Street and Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa, officially opens its sales gallery to the public this week — with nearly $70 million in reservations already on the books. Smith & Associates Real Estate, the exclusive listing agent on the tower, has been taking meetings with real estate agents and prospective buyers for months while the gallery was under construction.
Plans for street-level retail space remain unchanged; the tower will bring at least four restaurants along the Riverwalk.
Riverwalk Place is a joint venture between Feldman, based in St. Petersburg, and West Palm Beach-based Two Roads Development.
The developers said Wednesday that some buyers have reserved multiple condos on the same floor to combine into larger units, and that they are “converting a planned office portion of the tower to residential condominium residences, making the tower a mix of fully residential, retail and at least four restaurants along the Riverwalk.”
“We always envisioned the mix of office and residential would be flexible,” the developers said in a statement. “The demand for condominium buyers has been especially strong, and so we are responding. People are clearly seeing how exciting this place will be to live, so we are providing that. We are thrilled people are so supportive and embracing the project.”
“Developers of 53-story mixed-use Riverwalk Place scratch office space, will devote entire tower to condos and retail (Video)” – Tampa Bay Business Journal (subscription required)
State transportation officials on Wednesday received one proposal to run an intercity passenger train from Orlando to Tampa, and it came from Brightline, the company that proposed creating the route in the first place.
Brightline already runs a rail service between Miami and West Palm Beach, with plans to extend the line to Orlando by 2021.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott rejected federal funding for high-speed rail on Interstate 4 in 2011. But this summer he agreed to have the state consider proposals from any interested company after Brightline said it wanted to create an Orlando-to-Tampa leg without using taxpayer dollars. The company proposed running its trains along Interstate 4, leasing land owned by the state and the Central Florida Expressway Authority.
Brightline’s business model pairs city-to-city rail service with high-end real estate development. In August, seeing that combination dazzled a Tampa delegation during a tour of the company’s South Florida projects. Publicly, the company has said it proposes a Tampa destination between downtown and Ybor City.
“Brightline submits sole proposal to launch Tampa to Orlando passenger rail service” – Tampa Bay Times
Your Downtown Calendar
The following is just a sample of upcoming events in Downtown Tampa. Visit the Downtown Tampa Events Calendar for a more comprehensive list.
The Revolutionists
Through Sunday, November 18 Stageworks Theatre This stage production is a brutal comedic quartet about four very real women who lived boldly in France during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror (1793-1794). Lauren Gunderson’s masterful script builds verbal anachronisms, meta-jokes, playful banter, and true historical events into a stirring finale as each woman faces her inevitable fate. In the end, it is a story of how important a woman’s voice can be, even in the darkest of times. A brave and blisteringly funny new work about feminism, legacy and standing up for one’s beliefs. For more info, go to The Revolutionists.
Travis Scott – Astroworld: Wish You Were Here
Monday, November 12, begins 7pm Amalie Arena Known for his explosively wild performances, Travis Scott will excite fans with a live show in Downtown Tampa. Bringing the amusement park of his chart-dominating critically acclaimed blockbuster Astroworld to life on stage, the artist has envisioned a show unlike anything done before and unlikely to be topped. For more information, go to Travis Scott .
Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park presented by Tampa Bay Lightning Opening Night
Friday, November 16, begins 5:30pm Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Celebrate the holiday season in Downtown Tampa at this holiday favorite, presented by Tampa Bay Lightning and brought to you by Tampa Downtown Partnership. The park is transformed with the sights, sounds, and activities of the holidays for children and adults of all ages. Enjoy Downtown Tampa’s only outdoor ice rink and The Shops of Winter Village, featuring 10 boutiques from local makers and purveyors offering a gift idea for everyone on your list. For more information, go to Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park presented by Tampa Bay Lightning Opening Night .
Heights Night Market
Wednesday, November 7, 6pm to 8pm Armature Works A monthly evening market taking place on 7th Ave in front of Armature Works, feature a rotating cast of artisanal creators, makers, and artists selling handmade goods, jewelry, art, wood-work, gifts and so much more. Heights Night Market is free to attend, family-friendly, and features live music at each event. For more information, go to Heights Night Market.
Taking the Stage at the Straz Center
Open Rehearsal – Die Fledermaus – Tuesday, November 13 to Monday, November 19 Latin Nights – Thursday, November 15, begins 9pm Live & Local – Connor Zwetsch – Friday, November 16, begins at Noon The Florida Orchestra – Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony – Friday, November 16, begins 8pm Diavolo Dance Theatre: Architecture in Motion® – Saturday, November 17, begins 8pm Vivere All’Italiana: Italian Film @ the Straz – Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18 Christie Lenee in Concert – Sunday, November 18, begins 7:30pm
On the Marquee at Tampa Theatre
Free Solo – Through Wednesday, November 14 Iron & Wine – Thursday, November 15, 7:30pm Science Friday Live – Saturday, November 17, begins 8pm
Monday Morning Memo –Monday Morning Memo is a weekly update of “insider downtown information” regarding developments, transportation, special opportunities and other useful information to help you make the most of downtown. Subscribe to receive this weekly newsletter.
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