Alfred Reuben Swann

Alfred Reuben Swann. Alfred Reuben Swann was born and raised in Tennessee. After wintering in Tampa, he foresaw a bright future for the community. In 1905, he began living in Tampa much of the year and became a major figure in the city's residential and commercial development. Swann and Eugene Holtsinger, a fellow Tennessean, developed a large residential subdivision on Hillsborough Bay named Suburb Beautiful. Their Bayshore Boulevard development featured a seawall and a roadway between the residences and the bay, giving Tampa its beautiful scenic drive. Swann envisioned Tampa as a major American city. Realizing that Tampa required more extensive port facilities, he purchased the marshland south of Ybor City known as the Estuary. In 1910, Congress appropriated funds to develop Ybor Channel and other port projects that contributed to Tampa's commercial growth. His business, the Swann Terminal Company, played a vital role in the port's development. In addition to his involvement in Tampa, Swann owned extensive citrus groves in Florence Villa in central Florida and timber interests in other parts of the state. Leaders such as Colonel Alfred Reuben Swann helped to make Tampa what it is today, the center of a major metropolitan area.