Gas Island Service Station, 528 West Platt Street,

Gas Island Service Station, 528 West Platt Street

Gas Island Service Station, 528 West Platt Street, southeast corner of Magnolia and Platt Streets. 1954. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Hyde Park Methodist Church, 528 West Platt Street, southeast corner of Magnolia and Platt Streets .2022. © Chip Weiner

Competition between service stations was fierce in 1954 when this photo was taken of the Gas Island Service Station at Magnolia and Platt Streets. Streetcar lines had shut down in Tampa, and autos were the primary mode of transportation for many residents. Gas stations were numerous in Hyde Park and even along Bayshore, and long before, there were no environmental concerns about having fuel storage tanks so close to the flood-prone water’s edge. This one sold Sinclair Oil products and its premium grade Power-X gasoline. Note the Hyde Park Methodist Church tower in the background.

The church would eventually purchase this property and build an additional structure to the original building. It remains today.

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol.2