For a portion of the twentieth century, the Italian Mafia had a foothold in Ybor. Among the criminal activities practiced in the city was the operation of the illegal lottery game known as “Bolita”. In this game, little numbered balls were mixed…

L’Unione Italiana, or The Italian Club, was founded in 1894 as a mutual-aid society for its Italian members. Its first president, Bartolo Filogamo, was the first Italian cigar manufacturer. When it started, the club had only 107 members. By…

The original idea conceived by Bertha Honoré Palmer, usually referred to as Mrs. Potter-Palmer, was to see the Temple Terrace area developed into a gold community surrounded by extensive citrus groves. After her death in 1918 and the subsequent sale…

Originally situated at 914 River Hills in Temple Terrace, the D. Collins Gillett house was the largest and most palatial of the original 8 buildings erected in the 1920's. Built in 1922-1923 by architect M. Leo Elliot the Gillett house was a…

Situated on the top of the hill on Sleepy Hollow Avenue is the Cody Fowler House. The home was built in 1922- 1923 by architect M. Leo Elliot; the domed roof can be seen in several of his builds. (example photo 2) The home is considered part of the…

Tampa Bay, Florida on October 7th, 1946 faced a Category-2 hurricane having wind speeds over 100miles/hr in the center. The storm entered West Coast of Florida near Tampa and Fort Myers around midnight and swept Northwards across the state with a…

Henry B. Plant’s influence in the hotel business extended beyond the Tampa Bay Hotel. Although the site of his Tampa endeavor now holds a museum of his namesake, Plant actually built or bought eight distinct hotels in the Tampa area and further…

The Tampa Bay Hotel was famous around the world for the beautiful sculptures and artistic works that lined its walls and the surrounding Plant Park. Guests of the hotel marveled at the pieces that adorned the entryway of the Hotel, all the way down…

The Tampa Bay Hotel has a history of attracting large-scale events and prominent people to its ideal location near the bay. The leadership at work when the Spanish-American War came to Florida around 1898 were eager to set the Hotel up as the home…

With the spirit of the roaring twenties gripping the country, the building that is now known as the State Theatre was built in 1924 as The Alexander National Bank. Jacob Alexander commissioned architect Neel Reid to design the Beaux-Arts style 8,600…