Chatterbox Lounge Tampa

The Chatterbox Cocktail Bar at 709 South Howard Avenue. Robertson and Fresh Collection of Tampa Photographs. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection (Photo enhanced)

In 1934, the El Dorado Inn opened at the southeast corner of Swann Avenue and South Howard Avenue, specializing in Spanish cuisine. In 1938, the name was changed to Club El Chico, but the menu and management remained the same. By 1940, it was renamed the Chatterbox Cocktail Bar (not to be confused with the Chatterbox located at First Street and Central Avenue in St. Petersburg).

The original building wasn't particularly impressive; it was a long structure with small windows and a neon sign above the door near the street. However, customers typically entered through a side door. The way the building looked didn’t matter much. It was what was inside that counted. Patrons included politicians, South Tampa elites, and everyday people, all drawn to rub elbows and see and be seen at the popular South Howard spot.

In 1947, the original building burned down and was replaced with a structure that many locals remember today. Its signature pink and aqua accents on a white exterior and a yellow "Chatterbox Lounge" sign out front characterized it. Over the years, a small jukebox provided entertainment.

The Chatterbox closed on New Year's Eve 2001 after developers acquired the land, and in early 2002, the building was demolished. This was the start of a renaissance of sorts for SOHO (South Howard). Soon after the Chatterbox came down, Whisky Park- another hang-out frequented by South Tampeños and celebrities alike, closed and came down. The district has become a strip of bars and restaurants patronized mainly by college-aged partiers. A two-story shopping plaza anchored by Panera Bread now occupies the corner of Howard and Swann, with its parking lot situated where the Chatterbox once stood.