Standard Oil Company on Tampa Street

In the late 1800s, Standard Oil Company, started by John D. Rockefeller, opened and began a vast expansion across the country as automobile ownership increased and railroads allowed for a broader distribution. At its height, it became the largest oil refinery in the world. By 1911, the original company split into several smaller companies in response to charges of it being a monopoly. It was legally reborn as Standard Oil of New Jersey (which eventually became Exxon) and Standard Oil of New York (eventually Mobil). The companies later merged to become ExxonMobil. When this building was constructed in 1927, the economy in Tampa was being tempered by the Florida land bust as the real estate bubble from earlier in the decade burst. Cars and travel were still popular, and service stations continued to grow on every corner. This building served as the local Standard Oil Company administrative office as well as a gas station. In the 1940s, it was home to the Florida Citrus Exchange, which morphed into Sealed-Sweet Growers. In 1991, Hillsborough County purchased the structure for $764,000; the YMCA administrative offices and the United Way moved into the spot. Now called the Walter S. Pierce Administration Building, it still houses the Tampa YMCA administrative offices.

Standard Oil Company district and city offices with gas pumps at side, 110 East Oak Avenue. 1927. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Tampa YMCA administrative offices, 110 E. Oak Avenue, Tampa, FL. 2021. © Chip Weiner

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again Vol. 1