Looking south on Howard Ave at Spruce St., this photo shows how vibrant the business district was in West Tampa in 1934. The men and children in the photo express some curiosity as the photographer takes his shot. The Cazin Theater, part of the Sicilia Club marquee advertises the opening of the play El Amor (The Love), an homage to Al Arenal. The Cometa Bodega (wine store) is prominently placed in the photo at the corner of Spruce and Howard, with La Habanera drug store across the street. Farther down Howard, a grocer, shoe shop, and bakery can all be seen along with the McFarlane Building. Streetcar tracks run down the middle of the avenue.

Cazin’s Theater closed the same year this photo was taken when the Sicilia club folded. The building languished for years. There is now a proposal to renovate it into a production studio. The decade the original photo was taken, the decline in the cigar industry took its toll on West Tampa businesses. Some of the shops are gone. The Cometa Bodega building now houses Tigers World fitness gym. The La Habanera drug store building has been demolished and is now a parking lot for Taqueria Gonzalez taco restaurant next door. The Macfarlane building, named after the founder of West Tampa, still exists and houses a door store. Interestingly, there are no photos in the Burgert collection of Macfarlane’s building.  However, signs of a slow renaissance in the district are appearing with new restaurants and commitments from other developers.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved