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Tampa Building From 1895 Might House Nightclub

Tribune file photo

The building has been home to a variety of businesses over the years, including a funeral home. It has been vacant for almost two decades.

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By JOSÉ PATIÑO GIRONA | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 4, 2009

TAMPA - An upscale dance club might be the next use for an 1895 building – one of the oldest in downtown Tampa – that originally housed the Tampa Harness & Wagon Co.

A painted sign proclaiming the name of the building's first business and depicting a 14-spoke wagon wheel was revealed about a decade ago when a nearby building burned. A plan three years ago to demolish the building and erect a condominium on the site fell through.

Alpha Group Entertainment, owned by Steve Boukalis, will ask Tampa City Council members to allow alcohol sales on the site, 1007 N. Franklin St. That hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. March 19.

Boukalis wants to launch a dance club similar to The Venue, on Ulmerton Road in Pinellas County, which caters to a high-end clientele, said Todd Pressman, a land-use consultant for Boukalis.

The club would have an estimated 15,000 square feet of interior space, with two or three stories and an atrium.

"This is designed to be a destination," Pressman said.

A city official said the building's owner, Andrew Cohen, is rehabilitating the structure to its original appearance: a brick-and-stone façade with multiple windows.

In the 1940s or 1950s, the building's façade and windows were covered to create a clean, smooth look that was achieved with stucco, said Dennis Fernandez, the city's historic preservation manager.

The building is not a local historical landmark because of alterations made to it through the years. Cohen, however, is speaking with city officials to determine whether the building ultimately has a chance to be deemed an historical structure, Fernandez said.

From 1895 to 1915, the building was home to the Tampa Harness & Wagon Co. It subsequently had various tenants, including a funeral director and embalmer from 1918 to 1922, Florida Auction and Storage House in 1917, Gordon Dry Goods in the 1920s and a clothing store from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Cohen's family bought the building in 1973 for $75,000. The building has remained vacant for 18 years.

A hole in the roof has damaged the floors, Fernandez said, but the building's walls are sound.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (8130 259-7659.

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