Ackermann hired Lea, a former University of Tampa football star, to manage the business.Ī view of the Chatterbox’s interior circa the 1970’s (photo courtesy of the Zabak family).ĭanny said Dr. He sold the business and retired in the 80s, handing the business over to surgeon Dr.
Zabak brought in live music acts and helped put Chatterbox on the map as the bar to visit when you’re in Tampa. His son, Rick, said it was a modest investment for the Cleveland native. Rudy Zabak owned the Chatterbox from 1957 to 1981. Rudy Zabak (third from left) owned the Chatterbox Lounge from 1957 to 1982 (photo courtesy of the Zabak family). That building burned down in 1947 and was promptly replaced with the building most locals remember. Longtime South Tampa residents and retired military may remember that version of the Chatterbox as a round waterhole set back from the street. Located on the corner of Howard and Swann Avenues, it changed hands a few times before officially becoming the Chatterbox in 1940.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, it was originally called El Dorado Club, and “groceries” were sold out the front. The first incarnation of the Chatterbox Lounge is said to have opened in 1931. From the kings and queens to the pork and beans.” It was jamming in there.” Danny Lea ran the Chatterbox Lounge on Howard Avenue until its demise in 2001.įrom University of Tampa students and alumni from Plant, Jefferson and Robinson High Schools, to politicians, downtown professionals and even the local hospitality crew, stiff drinks and a great jukebox made the Chatterbox the place to “start and end your night,” Danny said. “We were allowed to stay open to 3am, and we made use of every minute. “But at night time, we used to kick it back,” he said. During the day, former owner Danny Lea said he’d have retired professionals like judges and attorneys. From the kings and queens to the pork and beans.”īut it wasn’t the appearance of the Chatterbox that made it so memorable. “And the inside was so dark that if someone greeted you at the door, you’d have no clue who they were because your eyes had to adjust,” Rick said. Howard Avenue, the bar itself was just two wood-framed barracks from MacDill that were joined to create one long building that former owner Rudy Zabak’s son Rick equated to a shoebox. “The Box” was unassuming upon first glance. Founded in the Prohibition Era, it was South Tampa’s favorite watering hole for 70 years until it closed unceremoniously in 2001. You can’t talk about the history of SoHo without mentioning its most notable bar: the Chatterbox Lounge.
0 kommentar(er)
