Historic Building Preservation in Tampa

Historic building preservation in Tampa encompasses far more than maintaining old structures—it protects the physical evidence of our community's story, from the immigrant experience in Ybor City to the elegant development of Hyde Park and Tampa Heights. With over 59 locally designated historic landmarks, four local historic districts, and the nationally recognized Ybor City National Historic Landmark District, Tampa possesses an extraordinary collection of historic resources demanding specialized preservation expertise.

Florida Construction Specialists has served as a trusted partner for Tampa's most significant historic preservation projects. Our team understands that every historic building presents unique challenges requiring tailored approaches—combining technical expertise in traditional building methods with deep knowledge of preservation standards and regulatory requirements.

Understanding Historic Designation Levels

Tampa's historic buildings may be protected under multiple designation systems, each carrying different requirements and incentive opportunities. Understanding these designations is essential for planning preservation work.

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places, administered by the National Park Service, is the nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Tampa has dozens of individually listed properties and several National Register historic districts. Notable Tampa listings include:

• Tampa Theatre (1926) - Mediterranean Revival movie palace
• Centro Asturiano de Tampa (1914) - Spanish immigrant social club added to the Register in 1974
• Italian Club (1918) - Grand clubhouse serving Tampa's Italian community
• Henry B. Plant Museum (Tampa Bay Hotel, 1891) - Moorish Revival landmark
• Cuban Club (Circulo Cubano) - Social club representing Cuban immigrants
• Ybor City Historic District - Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990

National Register listing provides recognition and eligibility for the 20% federal historic tax credit for income-producing properties but does not restrict what private owners can do with their property unless federal funds or permits are involved.

Local Historic Designation

Tampa's local historic preservation program, codified in Chapter 27 of the City Code, provides regulatory protection for designated properties. The City of Tampa maintains four local historic districts and 59 local historic landmarks with multiple property designations. Local designation requires review of exterior alterations by the appropriate commission:

• Barrio Latino Commission: Reviews all projects within the Ybor City Historic District
• Architectural Review Commission: Reviews projects in Hyde Park and other locally designated districts
• Historic Preservation Commission: Reviews individually designated local historic landmarks

Tampa's Premier Historic Properties

The Italian Club (L'Unione Italiana)

Constructed in 1918, the Italian Club stands as one of Ybor City's most architecturally significant structures. The four-story building served as the social, cultural, and healthcare center for Tampa's Italian immigrant community. Its preservation presents typical challenges for Tampa's grand social clubs: maintaining ornate interior spaces while adapting for contemporary event use, addressing decades of deferred maintenance, and meeting modern building codes while preserving historic character. The building exemplifies successful preservation allowing continued community use.

Centro Asturiano de Tampa

The Centro Asturiano, a social club for immigrants from Asturias, Spain, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1974. The organization provided its members with healthcare, burial services, and community throughout their lives. Today, the 110-year-old building requires ongoing preservation work to maintain its historic fabric while continuing to serve as an event venue and cultural center. The building's historic gymnasium, containing original early 20th-century exercise equipment, represents an opportunity for museum interpretation.

Tampa Theatre

Built in 1926, the Tampa Theatre represents one of America's finest surviving examples of atmospheric theater design. Its Mediterranean Revival exterior and elaborately decorated interior—featuring a "stars and clouds" ceiling—require specialized preservation techniques for decorative plasterwork, historic lighting systems, and theatrical equipment. The theater demonstrates how historic preservation and adaptive programming can create sustainable cultural institutions.

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Preservation

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards provide the philosophical and technical framework for historic preservation work. Four distinct treatment approaches apply to different preservation scenarios:

Preservation

The most conservative approach, preservation focuses on maintaining and repairing historic materials and features rather than replacing them. Preservation applies when the goal is to retain the building exactly as it exists, including later alterations that have acquired significance.

Rehabilitation

The most commonly applied treatment, rehabilitation acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic property to meet continuing or new uses while retaining the property's character-defining features. Rehabilitation is the treatment required for projects seeking the federal historic tax credit.

Restoration

Restoration depicts a property at a particular period in its history by removing features from other periods and reconstructing missing features from the target period. Restoration typically applies to museum properties or buildings of exceptional significance.

Reconstruction

Reconstruction involves recreating vanished or non-surviving portions of a property for interpretive purposes. This treatment applies only in limited circumstances where documentary and physical evidence permits accurate recreation.

Historic Preservation Cost Ranges

Historic preservation costs vary based on building condition, scope of work, and required treatment approach. The following table provides typical cost ranges for Tampa-area preservation projects:

Projects qualifying for the 20% federal historic tax credit can offset a significant portion of these costs, making ambitious preservation projects economically viable.

The Certificate of Appropriateness Process

Work on locally designated historic properties in Tampa requires a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) before building permits can be issued. The COA process ensures proposed work is compatible with the property's historic character.

What Requires a COA?

• Exterior alterations visible from public rights-of-way
• New construction (including additions)
• Demolition of any portion of a historic structure
• Changes to site features including landscaping, parking, and signage
• Certain interior work in buildings with designated interior spaces

The Review Process

COA applications are reviewed by the appropriate commission at monthly public hearings. The review considers:

• Compatibility with the property's historic character
• Impact on character-defining features
• Appropriateness of proposed materials and design
• Compliance with applicable design guidelines
• Secretary of the Interior's Standards (as guidance)

Florida Construction Specialists routinely represents clients before Tampa's preservation commissions, preparing application materials and presenting projects in the most favorable light while building relationships that facilitate smooth approvals.

Preservation Planning: A Systematic Approach

Successful historic building preservation follows a systematic process that identifies needs, prioritizes work, and implements solutions appropriate to the building's significance and condition.

Financial Incentives for Historic Preservation

Several incentive programs help offset the costs of historic preservation:

• Federal Historic Tax Credit (20%): Available for certified rehabilitation of income-producing National Register properties
• Property Tax Assessment Freeze: Florida law allows local governments to freeze property tax assessments for qualifying historic properties
• Preservation Grants: Various federal, state, and private grant programs support preservation work
• Conservation Easements: Charitable contribution deductions for donating preservation restrictions

Our SHPO compliance services help property owners navigate these programs and maximize available incentives.

Partner with Tampa's Historic Preservation Experts

Historic building preservation demands expertise, dedication, and genuine respect for architectural heritage. Florida Construction Specialists brings all three to every project, from routine maintenance to comprehensive rehabilitation of Tampa's most significant landmarks.

Whether you own a locally designated property requiring COA-compliant repairs, a National Register building seeking tax credit rehabilitation, or a contributing structure within one of Tampa's historic districts, our team provides the expertise to preserve what matters while meeting your functional and financial objectives.

Contact us today for a consultation on your historic preservation project. We'll assess your building's needs, explain applicable regulations and incentives, and develop a preservation approach that honors Tampa's irreplaceable architectural heritage.