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Historic place

Tampa Jai-Alai Fronton

5125 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL

Tampa's fronton opened in 1953, hosted Springsteen and Bob Marley, played its last game on July 4, 1998, and is now a Home Depot.

📅 1953–1998🏛️ OtherDemolished
Open on the mapSlide back to 1953

The story

The Tampa Jai-Alai Fronton opened in 1953 on Dale Mabry just south of Gandy. Old Tampa Photos calls it the second jai alai fronton in the country. Jai alai came from Cuba, with players hurling a golf-ball-sized ball with long baskets called cestas while spectators bet on the outcome. Tampa's version had to struggle for years against parimutuel wagering laws.

The first planned site, south of Henderson Boulevard, was scrapped after residents and the neighboring Christ the King Catholic Church objected. Seasons were short for years, and rumors that games were fixed hurt the sport. Competition from new Tampa sports teams and the Seminole casino cut attendance further. The owners tried concerts to keep the building going. Bruce Springsteen played there in 1975 and Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1979. The last game at the 4,000-seat fronton was on July 4, 1998, and the 40-acre property was later sold for $8.3 million.

What's There Now

A Home Depot stands on the property.

Everything that was here

Did you know?

The first proposed site was dropped after objections from the church next door.
Bruce Springsteen played the venue in 1975.
The 40-acre property sold for $8.3 million.

Nearby history

Zi-Chex Drive Inn

3801 W Gandy Blvd · 495 m away
A 1952 drive-in with a cocktail lounge, parked between a jai alai fronton and a dog track, was torn down in 1997.

Bern's Steak House

1208 S Howard Ave · 5.3 km away
Bern and Gert Laxer bought a bar called Beer Haven and reused the letters on its sign to spell out Bern's.

Peter O. Knight Airport

700 S Davis Blvd · 6.5 km away
Tampa's first real airport sat on Davis Islands; airliners outgrew it by 1946, and the original terminal was torn down i

Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory

522 N Howard Ave · 7.0 km away
A New Deal armory in West Tampa where Elvis played at least four times in 1955 and 1956, now a Jewish Community Center.

The Big Orange Drive-In

1301 W Kennedy Blvd · 7.0 km away
A 24-hour carhop drive-in nicknamed the Big Orange, known for its orange-pants uniforms, lost its liquor license in 1956

Valencia Garden

811 W Kennedy Blvd · 7.3 km away
Manuel Beiro's Spanish restaurant ran 82 years, survived a 1966 fire and closed when the University of Tampa bought the

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Sourceshttps://oldtampaphotos.com/tampa-jai-alai-fronton