PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – The Tampa Bay area will soon be home to a new attraction: The National Comedy Hall of Fame.
- National Comedy Hall of Fame to make Pasco County its home
- A museum is being contructed in Holiday
- The Hall of Fame has been a traveling exhibit since 1989
The Hall of Fame will move into Holiday Tower, off of US 19 and Darlington Road in Pasco County. It will feature a museum, comedy club, bistro, event center and escape room.
"The nice thing is we're bringing a one-of-a-kind attraction to the Tampa Bay area," said David Spezza, vice president of the National Comedy Hall of Fame.
Spezza says they've been looking for a permanent location for years after being a travelling exhibit since 1989.
"We have exhibits ranging from vaudeville, all the way to current times. We have great exhibits for all of current inductees which started with Abbot and Costello," Spezza said.
Spezza also works in real estate and owns Holiday Tower. He's fixing it up and plans to make it the Hall of Fame's new home. It's a unique building known for its green color and four-story height right off of U.S. 19.
Spezza is putting in an event center, comedy club and bistro for visitors to use. He's also planning a comedy themed escape room at the Race to Escape business that's already there. He's putting up a lot of his own money into the project to make this dream a reality.
"Holiday is in need of something to attract new business. Attract new commerce. To help it redevelop itself a little bit," Spezza said.
Spezza hopes to the get the Hall of Fame up and running this year.
The National Comedy Hall of Fame was originally founded by producer Tony Belmont. Twenty-three comedians have been inducted, including Abbott and Costello, Lucille Ball and George Carlin.