Explore the Map
Tap a numbered marker to see the home, address and link to its full story. Numbers match the cards below.
Every city has houses with stories. Tampa has pioneer farmhouses, Victorian cottages, Bayshore estates, boom-era Mediterranean villas and modern mansions tied to the people who shaped the city. This series starts with the oldest and moves forward through Tampa history.
I'm a South Tampa native, a dad and a Realtor. I built this map so you can see how the stories connect geographically — then open each house for its address, photos, architecture and history.
Explore the Homes
Captain William Parker Jackson House
800 E. Lambright St.
A pioneer steamship captain’s farmhouse on what was once a 152-acre farm.
No. 2 · 1890 · Hyde ParkThe Peter O. Knight Cottage
245 S. Hyde Park Ave.
The modest Victorian home of the lawyer whose name lives on at Tampa Electric, Holland & Knight and Peter O. Knight Airport.
The T.C. Taliaferro House
305 S. Hyde Park Ave.
A Neoclassical Revival house connected to early Tampa banker Thomas C. Taliaferro.
No. 4 · c. 1900 · DowntownThe Jackson Rooming House
851 E. Zack St.
The boarding house that welcomed Black travelers and legendary entertainers during segregation.
The Stovall House
4621 Bayshore Blvd.
The surviving grand estate long owned by Tampa Tribune publisher Wallace F. Stovall.
The Dorchester House
901 Bayshore Blvd.
One of Bayshore’s oldest surviving mansions, built for developer W.E. Dorchester.
The House at 116 W. Davis Boulevard
116 W. Davis Blvd.
A 1925 Franklin O. Adams Jr. Mediterranean Revival house within the original Davis Islands development.
The Plant-Hatton House
4505 W. Beachway Dr.
A Beach Park home tied to the Plant family and Hollywood actress Constance Bennett.
The George Guida Sr. House
1516 N. Renfrew St.
The Art Moderne home of “Mr. West Tampa,” now being restored for community use.
Why a Realtor Writes About Old Houses
Because history is part of what you're buying. Tampa's older neighborhoods come with stories, but also real questions about inspections, insurance, renovation rules and historic districts. If you're considering one, start with my guide to buying historic homes in South Tampa, explore Tampa neighborhoods, or browse things to do in Tampa.
Know a Tampa home with a famous story? Send it to me and it might be the next entry.