Discovering the downtown Tampa you didn't know

In preparation of APA Florida's 2016 Annual Conference and in honor of the good work being achieved by URBN Tampa Bay (United Residents for Better Neighborhoods), here's a look at Tampa's urban core during the 20th century!

25. Franklin and Lafayette Streets. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

26. View of the west side of George Washington Junior High School at 707 Columbus Drive. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

27. Ybor City (left) and Franklin Street (right) sidewalk scenes during the 1970s. (State Archives of Florida)

28. Aerial view looking south over the Hillsborough River toward Davis Islands in 1986. Harbor Island People Mover was a 2,500-foot long, privately owned automated people mover that connected downtown Tampa’s Old Fort Brooke parking garage with the Shops on Harbor Island. Operations began on June 25, 1985. The system was shut down in 1999 and eventually replaced with the TECO Line Streetcar System. (State Archives of Florida)

29. Looking northwest along Tampa Street from Mugge Building in 1913. Courtesy of the W. A. Fishbuagh - Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

30. The Sulphur Springs Hotel at 8122 North Nebraska Avenue. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

31. Looking northeast along Franklin Street from Mugge Building in 1913. Courtesy of the W. A. Fishbuagh - Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division

32. Looking east down Twiggs St. from Tampa St in 1968. (State Archives of Florida)

33. Looking south along Tampa Street near Zack Street downtown. The flagship store of the Maas Brothers department store chain is located on the left. (State Archives of Florida)

34. The north facade of the Gutierrez Building at 1603 East Seventh Avenue in Ybor City. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

35. The Ybor Cigar Factory, at 1916 North 14th Street, was the first brick cigar factory constructed in Tampa in 1886. Vincent Martinez Ybor, its founder, constructed a model city surrounding the factory where the cigar workers resided. The community became known as Ybor City. At the time, Ybor’s building was the largest hand-rolled cigar complex which was typical of a distinct industry and era in the history of Florida. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

36. The Florida Brewing Company was the state’s first brewery when it opened in Ybor City in 1897. It was known for its German-style lagers and raided and shut down for continuing to make beer during Prohibition. At its height, the brewery produced over 80,000 barrels of beer annually. A leading exporter of beer to Cuba, the company closed in 1961 due to Castro’s rise to power in Cuba.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com