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Living In Temple Terrace Was A Dream Come True

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By CHERI DONOHUE

Special to the Tribune

Published: August 13, 2008

Sunday afternoon car rides are happy memories for my sisters and me.

Our parents would load us up in the car and either visit a relative or seek out some new neighborhood to explore. Growing up in Seminole Heights, we felt like we lived in the oldest part of the city and points north, east or west were new and exciting.

One such place we liked to visit was Temple Terrace. We would get there via the 40{+t}{+h} street bridge, and it seemed so far away. It wasn't like the Brandon area, with cows crossing U.S. 301 (and stopping traffic), nor was it like Clair-Mel City with its brand-new streets and matching pastel houses. Temple Terrace was simply lovely, with its beautiful golf course, winding river, grand Spanish homes and the ultramodern 1950s ranch. We swooned over the pretty terrazzo floors and oversized screened porches. It wasn't to be, however. Our mother just couldn't imagine moving to the country.

So, like any parents hoping to share our happy childhood memories, my husband and I took our little, but growing, family for Sunday rides to Temple Terrace, as well. But by the '70s, Temple Terrace wasn't in the sticks anymore, and although the beautiful golf course, winding river and architecture of the grand Spanish houses were still present, the '50s houses were now a great bargain. We could afford a house on a schoolteacher's salary in a great neighborhood with big oak trees - a little girl's dream come true, and it still had those cool terrazzo floors (now covered in orange-and-brown carpet). The elementary school, our church, the public library and Bonnie Brae playground were all within walking distance. We fell head over heals in love with the city, and the bloom has never faded on this romance.

It didn't take long to find out why the city was so wonderful. The combination of civic involvement and a government that listened to its residents (who were and are educated about the needs and workings of the city) is as much an attractor as the beautiful landscape. Community pride is evident, and it doesn't just come from the residents.

From the public works crew members who pride themselves on having the streets in pristine condition after the Fourth of July parade - and well before the fireworks begin - to the city council, all levels of government are focused on making our town a "City for Living." Since we moved here in 1976, city councils have invested in a beautiful library, two new fire stations, the acquisition and remodeling of the city hall and police station and the building of a vital recreation complex and park system.

Now, the council has taken on the biggest challenge in the city's history. Residents screamed that something had to be done with the old shopping center at 56{+t}{+h} Street and Busch Boulevard, and several years later with many planning/charrette sessions behind us, we are poised to build a new town center - finally, a real downtown.

Residents have been an integral part of the designing of a walkable center filled with an arts center, retail and office spaces. For some, it can't come quickly enough, but for others, getting it right is the key to making it something worth waiting for.

But elected officials aren't the only ones responsible for the growth and enhancement of Temple Terrace. The work of organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, the Community Arts Council, Woman's and Junior Woman's clubs, Friends of Parks & Recreation, Friends of the Library, Garden Club and active PTAs (just to mention a few) each play an important role in providing and protecting the amenities that make the city so livable.

Schools, churches and neighborhood groups have added a layer of "niceness" that gives the city its charm. An increase in diversity has added a new dimension, which only adds to the soul of the city. We've lost the original bat tower (you have to live here to understand), but a replacement is in the works thanks to the Friends of the Parks and Recreation and the Preservation Society.

Could I be talking of any other place in Hillsborough County? Maybe, but I know that our combination of history, environment and the fabric woven by our residents has created that sense of place everyone else is striving to create.

Our four children grew up in Temple Terrace, and from listening to them tell stories of their youth, we couldn't have picked a better place to raise them. They have memories of walking to school, the Fourth of July parade and fireworks, holiday sing-alongs with Santa driving through the streets in his firetruck, as well as Easter egg hunts and the Community Arts Festival.

One daughter and her husband recently decided to pack up and move from Atlanta. In today's market, that was some feat, but they are now one of the newest families in Temple Terrace, bringing with them our grandson and another generation of residents head over heels in love with Temple Terrace.

Cheri Donohue is director of the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce.

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