Beach Park
Originally owned by HB Plant, the waterfront property that would become Beach Park was once described by the Tampa Sunday Times as “a wild tropical garden, impregnable and uninhabitable.” The land was sold to Mabry-Hall Realty Company in 1911, and the firm undertook creating its canals, bayous and wide, winding streets. Community architect Franklin O Adams required that all Beach Park homes be built in the Mediterranean style, with lots of stucco, terra cotta and decorative tile. Many of these gorgeous homes are still being lived in today. A grand illuminated entrance once stood at Westshore Boulevard and Cleveland Street; the remnants of a smaller entrance can still be seen at Swann and Lois Avenues.