The History of Borrell Park

For too long, the fascinating history of this small patch of Tampa has been lost from common memory. I hope the history of Borrell Park inspires the neighborhood to appreciate the present by connecting us to our past. The history of Borrell Park involves some of Ybor City and Tampa’s most noteworthy families. From wilderness, […]

Where is La Paloma?

Before V.M. Ybor and Ybor Heights became separate neighborhoods, they were unified as La Paloma. A neighbor (shoutout Myra Pierce) proposed that La Paloma came from a song. The Spanish song “La Paloma” became globally popular as Tampa began to boom at the turn of the 20th century. She supposed the song inspired the La […]

History of the Island Shine Auto Wash Property Site

The Island Shine Auto Wash site has served various uses over the years. It was carved from the Robles’ family large homestead for development. Plans for a new subdivision of buildable lots were filed with the Clerk in 1888. Evidence suggests the Pexa family were the first to inhabit the home that was built there. […]

Vacant to Vibrant – Let’s Make More Vibrant Places

Vacant lots, boarded buildings, overgrown alleys littered with trash. The data is clear. To a vastly disproportionate degree, these harmful spaces puncture and slash through Tampa’s Black working class neighborhoods, and have inflicted decades of harm on our city’s most vulnerable residents. It’s a problem partly rooted in Tampa’s segregated history, and one that continues […]

NABA Extends Legacy of Economic Advocacy for Nebraska Avenue

There is perhaps nowhere in the City of Tampa with a more unshakeable stigma than Nebraska Avenue. Stagnant economic development, blighted conditions, and the perception of danger divert consumer dollars elsewhere. On a street where drivers roll up their windows and lock their doors, who wants to take out their wallet? Recognizing the benefit of […]