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Landmark Status Sought For Franklin Street Building

Tribune photo by JAY NOLAN

Jose Gallegos and Daniel Soto use sledgehammers to take down an outside wall at a former auto showroom at 1609 N. Franklin St. in Tampa.

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 9, 2009

TAMPA - In the late 1920s, North Franklin Street was the backbone of Tampa's auto service and sales industry – a bustling hub of showrooms and car dealerships.

When urban renewal projects of the late 1960s razed nearby neighborhoods, many business owners moved elsewhere, leaving behind rows of boarded up buildings.

Although proposals were floated over the years to redevelop the blighted commercial district, it never recovered. But there are signs of renewed interest in North Franklin.

Carl Johnson, a custom furniture maker, bought a vacant building on 1609 N. Franklin St. last year for about $300,000 and plans to renovate the structure. He also has applied to the city for local landmark status, a move that would protect the historic downtown building from demolition and provide tax incentives.

"It needs a lot of work," Johnson said. "But we wanted something that had character."

The Vintage Auto Building was built in 1920 for the Traffic Trucks Sales Co. It has housed a number of businesses since then but has been vacant for years.

Among other planned renovations, Johnson wants to restore the front windows, which were replaced with blocks when the building was converted into a warehouse.

Franklin Street is home to several other historic landmarks, including the former S.H. Kress building, the Majestic-Hedges building and the Southern Exchange Building.

A public hearing on the building's landmark status is scheduled for March 5 at city hall.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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