Hyde Park Grammar School, 702 Platt St. and Magnolia Avenue

Hyde Park Grammar School buildings on northeast corner of DeLeon Street and South Boulevard, front and side facades. 1913. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Gorrie Elementary School buildings on northeast corner of DeLeon Street and South Boulevard. 2021 © Chip Weiner

Hyde Park Grammar School opened on September 3, 1889, at 702 Platt St. and Magnolia Avenue. This new two-story red brick building was constructed in 1913 and was renamed John B Gorrie Elementary in 1915 to honor Gorrie, a physician who invented the ice-making machine. According to some reports, parents expressed concern about the school's location because it was “out in the woods.” Since construction took so long, a two-room wooden structure was built on the site. Once construction was completed, that building became the Hyde Park library branch, and the entire small wooden structure was eventually picked up and moved to 705 Swann Ave.

The school’s website claims it is the oldest operating Elementary school in Florida. It was renovated in 1977, and the roof and exterior walls were repaired in 1989. It remains a highly rated and sought-after elementary school

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol.2