Tampa Heights in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Tampa Free Public Library
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, May 19, 2017
1. Tampa Free Public Library Marker
Inscription.
Tampa Free Public Library. . Built with a $50,000 grant from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the Tampa Free Public Library opened its doors in April 27, 1917, becoming the City of Tampa's first public library. This venture was the result of a sustained community effort led by the Tampa Woman's Club and the Tampa Board of Trade, a tax approval by citizens for annual operating costs, a 4,000-book donation by Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Lothridge, and the dedicated work of head librarian, Helen V. Stelle (1917-1947). Designed by architect Fred J. James and constructed in 1915 at 102 E. 7th Avenue by Aulic, Bastes and Hudnell, the 35,212-square-foot Classical Revival building features brown and yellow brick, rusticated granite, a barrel tile roof, and 16-foot ceilings. It served as the main library for Tampa Public Library for 50 years. The Tampa Free Public Library closed its doors on April 6, 1968, when a newly-built, modern, central library at 900 N. Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa opened. The Tampa Free Public Library building is designated as a City of Tampa Local Historic Landmark; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Built with a $50,000 grant from industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the Tampa Free Public Library opened its doors in April 27, 1917, becoming the City of Tampa's first public library. This venture was the result of a sustained community effort led by the Tampa Woman's Club and the Tampa Board of Trade, a tax approval by citizens for annual operating costs, a 4,000-book donation by Mr. and Mrs. L.H. Lothridge, and the dedicated work of head librarian, Helen V. Stelle (1917-1947). Designed by architect Fred J. James and constructed in 1915 at 102 E. 7th Avenue by Aulic, Bastes & Hudnell, the 35,212-square-foot Classical Revival building features brown and yellow brick, rusticated granite, a barrel tile roof, and 16-foot ceilings. It served as the main library for Tampa Public Library for 50 years. The Tampa Free Public Library closed its doors on April 6, 1968, when a newly-built, modern, central library at 900 N. Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa opened. The Tampa Free Public Library building is designated as a City of Tampa Local Historic Landmark; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Erected 2015 by Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council, Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed
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in these topic lists: Architecture • Education. In addition, it is included in the Carnegie Libraries series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 27, 1917.
Location. 27° 57.632′ N, 82° 27.648′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is in Tampa Heights. It is at the intersection of East 7th Aveune and North Tampa Street (Business U.S. 41), on the right when traveling west on East 7th Aveune. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 East 7th Avenue, Tampa FL 33602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Tampa Bay. It is also in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 989 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 1, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
