TAMPANIA HOUSE

Tampa expanded north in the 1910s and developers drained wetlands for housing. The Tampania subdivision platted lots in 1925.

City plans called for grand entrances and tree-lined streets. Homes targeted middle-class buyers. Construction peaked before the 1929 stock market crash.

Tampania House rose in 1927 for the subdivision developer. It served as a showpiece for the subdivision. The bust halted progress.

Only a handful of houses were built, and the neighborhood petered out. Empty lots filled with later structures.

The home changed hands over the decades. 
The Friederich family owned it mid-century. The Kirkeby name was linked to later residents.

Preservation efforts noted it in 1985, and the historic listing protects its form. It stands as a rare survivor of boom-era plans.

Tampa's history has ties to such subdivisions as they shaped the city's grid.

The house is at 4611 North A Street, Tampa, FL 33603 in the West Tampa area. Reach it via North Boulevard to A Street.

No public hours apply. The site remains a private residence. You can view the exterior from the street.

Park nearby on residential streets and walk the block to see other 1920s homes, or don't park and drive through the subdivision.

• Prairie style draws from Frank Lloyd Wright influences. 

• The subdivision entrance gate dates to 1927 but vanished. 

• Aerial views from 1938 show sparse lots in Tampania. 

• Developers envisioned a country club nearby; plans faded. 

• The home's undivided spaces create open interior flow. 

• Tampa's 1920s boom added 50,000 residents in five years. 

• Empty parcels later housed post-war bungalows. 

Florida is the fastest-growing state in the United States and also the fastest-changing.  If you see anything in this article that has changed or is in error, please let me know.

Our free daily Ezine, Florida Heritage Travel, has 18,000 subscribers.  We also have 130,000 followers on Facebook who love off the beaten path Florida.