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Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Roberts City

 
 
Roberts City Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 31, 2015
1. Roberts City Marker
Inscription. In 1909, cigar manufacturer J.W. Roberts and Sons Company moved into an abandoned cigar factory on Garcia Avenue and Green Street. The neighborhood, bordered on the north and east by the Hillsborough River, on the south by Cass Street, and on the west by North Boulevard, was then reborn as Roberts City. Unusual among Tampa's neighborhoods, it included a mix of Italians, Spaniards, Cubans, African Americans, Bahamians and Anglos. African Americans could not escape the laws that mandated segregated facilities. Still, whites and blacks in Roberts City largely ignored Tampa's ethnic and racial social barriers.

Boxing played a prominent role in Roberts City and many world-renowned boxers trained at the Buena Vista Hotel. The neighborhood also had its own grocery, pharmacy, hotel, and fish market. In 1938, Clara Frye Hospital opened to serve the city's black population.

In the early and mid-1960s, almost all the homes and businesses in Roberts City were razed to make room for the interstate highway and for Tampa's Riverfront urban renewal project. Still, former residents of Roberts City fondly remember their neighborhood and sponsored this historic marker to remind others of the strong community that once thrived.
 
Erected 2006 by Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.
 
Location. 27° 57.19′ N, 82° 28.039′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. Marker is on North Boulevard, 0.1 miles south of West Laurel Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located off North Blvd in Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, Tampa. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1001 N Riverfront Park, Tampa FL 33607, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Phillips Field (within shouting distance of this marker); Lynching in America / The Lynching of Robert Johnson (approx. 0.2 miles away); Madame Fortune Taylor Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Clara C. Frye (approx. 0.3 miles away); Plant Field (approx. 0.4 miles away); Old Schoolhouse (approx. 0.4 miles away); Babe's Longest Homer (approx. 0.4 miles away); Billy Graham Began Here (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.
 
Roberts City Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, September 14, 2022
2. Roberts City Marker
New location
Roberts City Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 31, 2015
3. Roberts City Marker
Old location
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 18, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 12, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 972 times since then and 82 times this year. Last updated on March 29, 2016, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. Photos:   1. submitted on March 12, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.   2. submitted on September 18, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.   3. submitted on March 12, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024