Benjamin Field/George N. Benjamin b 1859 d 1926

Benjamin Field/George N. Benjamin b 1859 d 1926. . , Benjamin Field, In 1896, this land was gifted to the City of West Tampa as a public park by George N. Benjamin, a prominent entrepreneur and early West Tampa leader. The park was built and 2 year later it was used by Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders as a camp during the Spanish-American War., In 1911, the property was developed as an airfield and small planes took customers on sight seeing rides. One of the 1st night flights in aviation history occurred here. In 1921, the City of Tampa leased the land to the Armory Board for use as a National Guard Drill Facility. During the 1920s, a large wooden boxing arena was constructed and matches were held for several years. In 1941, the wooden oval was replaced by a large concrete facility and named Fort Homer Hesterly for the commanding officer of the 116th Field Artillery. For 5 decades, the Armory served as a central community venue hosting dances, concerts, wrestling matches, and political events., In 1961, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here. Pres. John F. Kennedy spoke here 4 days before his assassination. For over three decades, legendary acts such as Elvis Presley, James Brown, Johnny Cash, The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Ramones and many more performed here. (Continued on other side). George N. Benjamin , b 1859 d 1929 (Continued from other side). George N. Benjamin settled in Tampa in 1875 and shortly after opened what would become the largest pharmacy in the city. The success of this business allowed him to purchase land west of the Hillsborough River from the State to plant orange groves. Following the freeze of 1895 which destroyed most of the orange crop, he began to develop land in what would become West Tampa and was instrumental in getting the Florida Legislature to incorporate the booming cigar town. Benjamin served on the West Tampa City Council for 17 years and 4 years as Mayor. His civic leadership was key on the growth of West Tampa as a vital cigar manufacturing hub. Along with his father in law Dr. Phillip Collins, Benjamin underwrote the construction of the Fortune St. bridge providing the first crucial link between West Tampa and Tampa. Benjamin also served as Director of the Bank of West Tampa and Supervisor of West Tampa Schools (his efforts produced a number of public schools in the city). He also co-founded the Tampa Board of Trade and the South Florida Fair Association. His civic engagement and business acumen helped define the early West Tampa experience. Many of his descendants still reside in Tampa today.