Tampa’s Early 1900s Travel Hub

In 1912 when the Tampa Union Station opened, the city was emerging from a village to a . Tourists, residents, and those migrating from other parts of the country frequently traveled by train.  Henry B Plant brought his railway to Tampa and beyond in the late 1800s, and many tracks led to the city. The station opened as a hub to combine travelers on the Seaboard Air Line, The Atlantic Coast Line, and the Tampa Northern Railroad. The Italian Renaissance-style building was opened in a time of racial segregation and, at one time, had a divided waiting room and restrooms for whites and blacks. The station was built in a section of town that would become known as the Scrub. It was located close to Central Avenue just north of Downtown and was a center for Black lives.

As air travel surpassed train travel and automobiles became more common, the popularity of the station began to dwindle. By the 1980s, the building had fallen into disrepair with leaking roofs, peeling paint, and falling plaster. It closed in 1984. In 1988, preservationists began a non-profit organization and obtained over $ 4 million in grant money and loans, and began the process of a multi-year restoration. The station reopened in 1998. In 2012, the station’s centennial year, it was added to the National Register of Historic Railroad Landmarks.  

http://www.tampaunionstation.com/history/

© Chip Weiner. 2023. oldtampaphotos.com