January 2023 | final update
We are very pleased to announce that the application submitted by the Hyde Park Spanishtown Creek Civic Association to expand the local historic area in Hyde Park was unanimously approved by the Tampa City Council on January 5, 2023.
A letter from the City of Tampa Architectural Review & Historic Preservation confirming the local historic designation as well as review frequently asked questions is uploaded to this page (see bottom for the PDF).
The application process started in early 2021 and has been over a decade in the making. We hosted multiple neighborhood education meetings and events and enlisted help by experts and legal counsel. The application saw broad unanimous support from neighbors as well as the Historic Preservation Council and the Tampa Planning Commission.
The local historic area expansion recognizes the unique and historic nature of your Hyde Park Spanishtown Creek neighborhood by encouraging our community to preserve and use our existing historic resources. It also gives our neighbors a voice in their future as Tampa experiences unprecedented growth and development.
We extend special thanks to Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association for their support and leadership. And also to HPPI (Hyde Park Preservation, Inc.), the Center for Architecture and Design, our legal counsel, experts, the Doby Family, and all the neighbors who were in attendance throughout this journey.
This was community in action - your support made a difference and can continue to make a difference in your neighborhood.
___________________________________________________
To learn more about the City of Tampa historic preservation and local designation process and the timeline of this journey, please review the information below.
It is a multi-year process (research, discussion, voting, application, etc) to seek local historic designation. At the HPSCCA 2021 member meeting, a motion to request the City of Tampa to move forward with the review of the local historic district with expansion to Spanishtown Creek passed unanimously. The request was made to the City of Tampa in partnership with Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association (HHPNA).
Part of the process included neighborhood Q/A with City officials, the community gathering schedule was:
August 29, 2019 (Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision)
October 12, 2021 (Kate Jackson Community Center)
March 31, 2022 (Kate Jackson Community Center)
August 10, 2022 (Lighthouse for the Blind and Low Vision)
These meetings were led by the manager of the City of Tampa Architectural Review & Historic Preservation, Dennis Fernandez. The community meetings focused on the ins/outs of Historic Preservation, what that means, and provided time for QA regarding the process and guidelines, etc. Neighbors from HPSCCA, HHPNA (Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Assocation), HPPI (Hyde Park Preservation Inc) and others looking to learn more about local historic designation were present. The community gatherings were co-hosted by HHPNA and HPSCCA.
The images below provide information on the process to local historic designation. The request passed through each step and votes were unanimous to expand the local historic district to include parts of Hyde Park Spanishtown Creek.
The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) map of the local and national historic district as published to their website on January 5, 2023.
Below is a map of the designations (local and national) of the Hyde Park neighborhoods prior to January 5, 2023.
