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Hyde Park is one of the largest and most cohesive collections of early 20th century residential architecture in the United States. The buildings in Historic Hyde Park generally date from 1900 to 1930, and encompass a wide variety of architectural styles. Historic Hyde Park, particularly the area west of Rome Ave, has a large concentration of bungalow type homes.
Bungalow Terrace in 1984.
The area is supported and advocated for by the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HHPNA for short), which acts more like a civic alliance than the typical neighborhood organization by protecting the historic integrity of the area, establishing and maintaining the various community recreational facilities, and providing a social realm for theresidents to interact with one another (Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association). The association, which consists of roughly 125 dues-paying households, is governed by a board of eight to ten members, many of which were crucial in the gathering of research for this paper. This executive board has been a driving force in improving the status and wellbeing of the area.
http://www.ehydepark.org/images/designs/usf study hyde park 2009.pdf
Southern Crosstown Expressway in 1976.
The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, originally known as the Southern Crosstown Expressway now cuts off Hyde Park from the University of Tampa and downtown. Built in stages between 1976 and 1987, the expressway was supposed to be part of a multi-expressway system that failed in the 1970s due to heavy local opposition and financial burdens.
Hyde Park Village
Hyde Park Village is an upscale open-air shopping district located in the neighborhood of Hyde Park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Owned by Madison Marquette, the center is situated in several buildings located between Swann and Rome Avenues, just a few blocks east of the SoHo district. Some of the top retailers include Anthropologie and Williams-Sonoma. However, a majority of the tenants are high-end independent boutiques. In addition to the shops, the district also features many restaurants which are among the best-reviewed in the city. In October 2009 a Cobb Theatres "CineBistro" opened in the center, combining a movie theatre with upscale dining.
Hyde Park Village in 1967.
The area where Old Hyde Park Village is today was originally called Cork Ave. Dakota Ave., Cork Ave., and Inman Ave. all intersected near where the British pay phone sits today. The only portion left of Cork Ave. today is called Snow Ave.
SOHO
SoHo Tampa, short for "South Howard Avenue," is an entertainment district within the Hyde Park neighborhood of Tampa. Some of the main cross streets are Kennedy Boulevard (SoHo's starting point), Cleveland Street, Platt Street and Swann Avenue. The area has some of the finest examples of architecture in the city surrounding it. The sublet is within walking distance of Bayshore Boulevard where it terminates two miles later. The much praised Bern's Steak House is located in the district. Other high-end restaurants and nightlife venues are located here as well. Other offerings are high-end locally-owned clothing boutiques, art galleries, dessert cafes, and Starbucks. One of only three Publix GreenWise Markets is located in the district also. As of 2009, small companies have sprung up utilizing NEVs to shuttle clubgoers between core neighborhoods including SoHo and Channelside. Also in 2009 a small park dedicated to Bern Laxer, late founder of Bern's Steakhouse, opened at the southern part of the district. At the center of the park is the "Three Graces" sculpture and a lighted fountain that is the first in Tampa to use reclaimed water.
2011 aerial of Hyde Park. The red lines represent of the route of former streetcar lines through the streetcar suburb.
Hyde Park is located adjacent to the University of Tampa and Downtown. Roughly, the boundaries of the neighborhood include the Hillsborough Bay to the east, Kennedy Blvd to the north, historic and picturesque Bayshore Boulevard to the east and south, and Armenia Avenue to the west. Major thoroughfares within the historical district include Kennedy Boulevard, Bayshore Boulevard, Lee Roy Selmon Expressway (Florida State Route 618), Howard Avenue, and Swann Avenue.
Article and images by Ennis Davis. Historic images courtesy of Florida State Archives.
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Adam W
June 08, 2012, 03:21:57 AMNice article, Ennis.
I used to live in Hyde Park (right next to Gorrie Elementary, actually) and the pictures brought back some good memories. It was a really nice neighborhood to live in - one of the few in Tampa. Our apartment was very close to Hillsborough Bay and downtown.
It is a lot like Avondale.
acme54321
June 08, 2012, 07:07:41 AMNice article, looks a lot like Avondale but bigger.
In the 2nd paragraph I think the date 1988 should be 1888.
vicupstate
June 08, 2012, 07:48:44 AMI wonder if the Jax Riverwalk was completed/extended all the way to Metropolitan Park, would it challenge Tampa for longest sidewalk?
thelakelander
June 08, 2012, 08:57:14 AMNo, extending the Riverwalk to Metropolitan Park would put it somewhere between 3 and 3.5 miles. The Bayshore sidewalk is 4.5 miles long and 10' wide. Tampa is currently doing a lane diet going from 6 to 4 lanes to accommodate a bikeway to separate walkers and cyclist.
DemocraticNole
June 08, 2012, 11:25:18 AMHyde Park is definitely a bigger version of Avondale. As someone who lived in Jacksonville prior to my 4 years here in Tampa, I would say that the biggest difference between the two areas is that Hyde Park is the desirable area for both the established rich people and young professionals. When I lived in Jacksonville, I don't remember too many of the young professionals trying to live in Avondale. Tampa also seems to have more people who are interested in revitalizing downtown and historic neighborhoods, although we are still woefully behind. Hyde Park could be a lot better and I would look to Winter Park as the example of the way to do things.
The freeway infrastructure in the entire metro area is piss poor. We are really paying for all of the freeway revolts in the 1970's. Freeways are not the answer to all transportation needs, but every metro area needs a certain amount of them to make the area easy to get around. The article says that the Selmon Exwy cut off much of the neighborhood from UT and Soho. That isn't entirely accurate. The CSX railroad tracks already separated most of the neighborhood from Soho. When the expressway was built, the railroad right of way was used. The expressway did not cut off any through streets south of Platt, as those were already cut off by the railroad. Only a small portion near UT was cut off. Even then, it is still very easy for pedestrians to cross under the expressway, unlike many urban expressways that were built and unlike I-275, which plowed through several historical neighborhoods.
tufsu1
June 08, 2012, 11:42:44 AMI lived in the area from 2000-2006 prior to moving to Jacksonville. I think that Riverside is starting to take on some of the young hipness that Hyde Park exudes. Combined with Avondale, it is VERY comparable with the Hyde Park area in Tampa.
vicupstate
June 08, 2012, 11:59:47 AMThanks for the info.
Maybe the Riverwalk could be extended to Commodore Point and even to the Ford plant. I know, too much to expect, but the potential is there.
The urban core of Tampa is pretty nice, including Hyde Park, but outside of that, the area leaves a lot to be desired visually.
Speaking of road diets, my street in Greenville SC is nearly completed with it's '6 auto lanes into 4 auto-2 bike lanes' conversion. Greenville has done several road diets in the last few years, and a very transformational one in the '80's that set DT on it's trajectory to successful revitilization.
There is definitely some 'road obesity' in this country.
thelakelander
June 08, 2012, 12:07:17 PM^Cool. I'd love to see some images of the final road diet projects.
Keith-N-Jax
June 09, 2012, 03:37:09 PMThanks for the tour. I always visit this area when I visit Tampa. Very simliar to Riverside and Ortega.