St. Petersburg’s Deuces district marked a celebratory day on September 19 with the grand reopening of the historic Manhattan Casino and a community gathering at Deuces Corner Park. The ribbon-cutting ceremony began at 10 a.m., followed by self-guided tours of the renovated event spaces inside the landmark venue. The reopening highlighted both the city’s Imagine the Deuces initiative and the long cultural legacy of the Manhattan Casino, which once played an important role in the Chitlin Music Circuit.
After the ceremony, Deuces Day Out brought the celebration to Deuces Corner Park at 9th Avenue S. and 22nd Street S. from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event featured live performances from the Gibbs High School Jazz Band, Alejandro Arenas and Allison Nash, Deneen Wyman, Imam Wilmore Sadiki, and others. Guests could also enjoy lunch from Love22 while supplies lasted.
Community information booths added to the day’s energy, with Burg Bid discussing redevelopment ideas for the Historic Gas Plant District, Deuces Live! connecting residents with neighborhood leadership and business owners, and the City of St. Pete offering its Black History Zine and a commemorative Manhattan Casino reopening poster featuring new mural artwork by Egypt Hagan.