Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, FL Curtis Hixon Hall, located at 600 Ashley Drive, was an indoor sports arena, convention center, concert venue, and special events center built downtown beside the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida. It was built in 1964 and torn down in 1993. Curtis Hixon Hall was built in 1965 during the administration of Tampa mayor Nick Nuccio, who pushed for the construction of many public works projects around town. It was named for Curtis Hixon, the mayor of Tampa from 1943 until he died while still in office in 1956. Architect Norman Six designed the uniquely-shaped building in a modified Googie architecture style. Curtis Hixon Hall held a maximum of about 6000-7000 people, though it could be modified to many different seating configurations as needed. Curtis Hixon Hall served as the site for many concerts, as it was the primary Tampa venue for major touring performers of the late 1960s and 1970s. Janis Joplin was arrested by the Tampa Police for "obscenity" while playing a show with B.B. King and others in the hall on November 16, 1969. And Elvis Presley played Curtis Hixon Hall in 1977, just months before his death.