Views from the Past
This mural in downtown Tampa on Franklin Street served as
a reminder of what life in Tampa looked like in the 1930s, as
streetcars and Ford Model A vehicles brought residents to the
multitude of stores and businesses that flanked the roadways.
This dome in north Tampa once housed the fabulous
IMAX Theater at the Museum of Science and Industry.
It has been closed for several years, and there appears
to be little hope that it will reopen. But when it was
operating, there was no better place to see a movie than
on its gigantic screen with its magnificent sound system.
The Clearwater draw bridge that
let you drive from downtown
Clearwater to Clearwater Beach
was replaced by a new bridge that
eliminated the need for boats to
wait for the bridge master to raise
the roadway so they could sail
through. It also eliminated the
need for cars on the bridge to wait
for the water traffic below to pass
before the bridge was lowered.
In Dunedin overlooking St. Joseph Sound, Schiller International University
attracted students from all over the world. Now it has been renovated into the
Fenway Hotel, where it attracts visitors from around the world. 9
60 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020