#9

HILLSBOROUGH CO. COURTHOUSE DOME

THE NEW CLOCKLESS COURTHOUSE

When the first brick Hillsborough County Courthouse was built in Court House Square in 1891, it marked the end of Tampa's only town clock.

The new courthouse was designed by New York architect J.A. Wood, the architect of the glorious Tampa Bay Hotel.  which was completed and opened at the same time construction began on the courthouse.  The $80k construction contract was awarded to W. H. Kendrick of Tampa in Jun. 1891, with supervision of the job to be by W. F. V. Scott, to be completed by August of 1892. 

It was built on the same site of the previous two courthouses,  with a beautiful onion-dome topped tower atop a large, ornate dome, 35 feet in diameter, in the style Wood used for the Tampa Bay Hotel.  This new building replaced the old wood frame structure built by John H. Breaker in 1854.

Not only did this 1891 courthouse not have a clock, the design of the dome and the minaret topper made it extremely difficult fly a flag from its topper and maintain it properly.  Raising and lowering it was a dangerous task, even when the halyard was working properly

Construction got off to a rocky start when some questioned Kendrick about the use of mound shell in the concrete to lay the foundation footers.  To the inquiring Tampa Journal reporter who asked, "It has been said that you are using rotten shell that are not fit for a foundation.  What do you say to that?"  Kendrick said, "I am using mound shell and that is what is called for by the specifications, and that's all I have to say about that.  I am doing more, I am putting in concrete wider and deeper than called for all the way around, 20 inches thick and 4 ft 5 in. wide.  Of course, any citizen who wants to inspect my work and look over the plans and specs and see if I am carrying out my contract.  It is the same that has been used in the foundation of all buildings in the city."

By June, 1892, construction was complete except for some minor touches on the interior, which was handled by the carpentry firm of Shaw & Johnson, and squabbling over whose job it was to pave parts of the square with sidewalks, as W. H. Kendrick deemed it not part of the contract.  Also needed was to remove debris and to plant landscaping, and deal with a street  drainage problem at Franklin St. and Florida Ave. where it seams the flow was backwards due to the grade.

By 1903 it had been taken in by the adjacent furniture business.

This was William A. Morrison's hardware store at 501 Franklin at Madison Street.  Morrison's hardware first shows up in the newspaper in 1894 on a list of expenses of the City of Tampa where Morrison was paid 90 cents for hardware.  (Image at right.)

The 1892 & 1895 Sanborn maps shows the store had an iron awning.

For several months of 1895 this was the only advertisement mentioning Morrison's.  It repeated daily.

For almost a year, Tampa Hardware carried the line "Successors to W. A. Morrison" on their ads.

THE NEW COURTHOUSE CLOCK

Not exactly a town clock, it was a wall clock, "thoughtfully put up yesterday for convenience of the public by Clerk Galvin.

THE CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL, 1911

The history of this monument is presented here ONLY as a history of a piece of outdoor art, nothing more.  It is NOT a condemnation or glorification of what it may mean to anyone of any race, religion, culture, heritage, or ethnicity. The topic of this piece is for the purpose of revealing the facts of when and where various events concerning it took place, such as its planning, placement, damage and relocations.

FROM "The Florida Public Archaeology Network"  Memoria In Aeterna Hillsborough County Courthouse grounds.

Memoria In Aeterna was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy on the grounds of the old Hillsborough County Courthouse in downtown Tampa, on February 8, 1911.  It was relocated in 1952 upon completion of the current courthouse building. A state historical marker about this monument was placed at this site in 1997 following the 1996 restoration of the monument.

This monument is rich with symbolism, but the most profound elements are the two figures of a Confederate soldier--perhaps the same soldier--on the north and south sides of this monument. On the north side,** marching north to battle, is a young Confederate soldier who is confident in his mission and well equipped and walking proud. This soldier sports a wide brimmed hat and blanket roll and has musket at shoulder. On the south side, this same solider returns home, hat in hand, head bandaged, uniform in tatters, and using his musket as a cane or walking stick.

**At Court House Square, the monument's soldiers didn't face north and south, they faced closer to east and west  (more accurately, ESE and WNW)  as Tampa was originally surveyed at about 23.5 degrees counterclockwise from north.  When moved to the new courthouse at 419 Pierce, they did face North/South.

The soldier statues on the monument did not face north and south, they faced closer to east/west--or more accurately, east-southeast and west-northwest.

The monument is basically an obelisk with soldiers on a pedestal on opposing faces.  The confederate battle flag is depicted on the front of the work and the dates 1861 and 1865 refer to the beginning and ending of the Civil War. The poem on the reverse side was written by Sister Esther Carlotta, a Roman Catholic nun who was president of the Florida Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1911.  On one side of the obelisk is depicted a Confederate soldier going off to war, rifle on his shoulder, wearing his hat.  On the other side is a Confederate soldier returning home in a tattered uniform, head lowered and bandaged, his hat in one hand, rifle held in the other hand as if being used as a cane. 

RELOCATION AND DAMAGE

From its creation to its current location, the monument was moved twice, one soldier on the monument would be vandalized, destroyed, replaced and then redamaged.  The other soldier was either vandalized or damaged once, but exactly when has not yet been determined.

1913 Burgert Bros. photo below courtesy of the University of South Fla. Digital Collections
An elevated view of Franklin Street looking north.
The building which appears unfinished seen immediately to the left of the dome was the new Hillsboro Hotel.  The south face was built practically without windows because the next phase was to expand it even taller on the south end.

Notice in the photo at left the slight forward-leaning posture and rear placement the left foot of the original "marching to battle" soldier on the left.  This probably contributed to its demise in 1946.

On Oct. 29, 1946, Dominick Berardinelli, age 20, was assessed a $300 fine for breaking the statue.  He testified it was an accident, and he did not intend to break it.  He said he and his buddies were clowning around in the courthouse square when he climbed the monument to get a closer look.  Berardinelli came forward on his own to confess to the act, and his fine was paid by his commanding officer.

Notice Judge Potter's concern, "Was anything said against the Confederacy?"  "NO SIR, we were ALL for it!" 

After the trial, Berardinelli repeatedly expressed his regret, but also added that the statue wasn't bolted to the monument, "but is should be.  It might have fallen on some child playing around it."

Red Cross Banners at the band stand, Mar. 7, 1950 
Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the THCPLC..

By the 1947, ivy had almost entirely covered the south face of the building and by 1950 it had crept around the corner to the front on the south end.  The replacement statue can be seen here with a rifle on his right shoulder.
Feb. 23, 1952.  Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the THCPLC

This Robertson & Fresh aerial photo from the University of South Fla. Digital Collections isn't dated but the vehicles and the growth of ivy on the south wing indicate it is from the late 1940s or very early 1950s.

  THE END IS NEAR FOR THE MAJESTIC OLD COURTHOUSE

Plans for a new courthouse were started in 1946, spurred by downtown parking issues in the latter half of the 1940s.  No articles were located regarding any structural or maintenance issues with the building.  One source, which TampaPix is attempting to relocate, said the south wall collapsed one night due to moisture seepage caused buy the flourishing ivy.  It's safe to assume there were space issues by this time, even with the annex which was built before 1915 and expanded before 1926.  There was likely the need for larger courtrooms, more offices, etc,  The topic of traffic was brought up in response to talks of building a "skyscraper" courthouse at the same site.  The downtown merchants as well as the police chief were against building larger at the same site, they wanted it out of the central downtown business district altogether.

This was a 1948 publicity event with Weeki Wachee mermaids to promote a film titled "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid."

Photo courtesy of Florida Memory, State Library and Archives of Florida.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

THE NEW COURTHOUSE

In the latter half of the 1940s a decision was reached to build a new complex on the east side of Pierce St. between Lafayette & Twiggs streets by cutting off Madison St at Pierce.  It currently ran about a block past Jefferson before it dead-ended.

A decision had to be made whether to move the temporary WW2 memorial to the new courthouse as soon as possible or build the permanent one instead.  There was also a drinking fountain and a display fountain along with a goldfish pool to consider.  The moving of the Confederate memorial would require more planning since it was so heavy and fragile.  This stirred up another hornet's nest with the UDC.

The skyscraper deal fell through with Weissman and Schaffer in mid-Feb 1952...

Click on the articles to read the rest of them

...but almost a year later a new offer of a lease with option to buy was agreed on and the New Yorkers came back to Tampa with a $10,000 down payment check on the old courthouse site.

While the search for a buyer was once again being conducted, the memorial was being prepped for relocation.

Meanwhile, many opinions as to what should be done with the site were still being sent to the Tribune.

        Click the excerpt below to read the whole article.

Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the Tampa
Hillsborough Co. Public Library Cooperative.

Weissman:  "But it's definitely not going to be a parking lot for long."

Sep. 17, 1954
 

And three years later it was still a parking lot on Dec. 5, 1957.  The tall building is the First National Bank of Tampa, f.k.a. the Bank of Tampa.

Burgert Bros. photos courtesy of the Tampa-Hillsborough Co. Public Library Cooperative.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW COURTHOUSE

The site for the new courthouse was selected in 1948 which included the area outlined in yellow at right.  The south side of Madison St. consisted mainly of James Madison Jr. High School, marked in green.

The first phase of construction was to close off Madison St. at Pierce and Jefferson.  It already dead-ended at the next street, East St. 

Jul. 31, 1948 Burgert Bros photo courtesy of the
Tampa-Hillsborough Co. Public Library System

Construction of a new county courthouse at Madison & Pierce streets was started in 1950 and was completed in 1952.

Mar. 16, 1951 Burgert Bros photo courtesy of
the Tampa Hillsborough Co. Public Library Cooperative

Dec. 2, 1952 - Robertson & Fresh photo courtesy of the University of S. Fla. Library Digital Collections.
 
The new county courthouse seen from Lafayette and Pierce streets.

1952 Robertson & Fresh photo from the University of South Fla. Digital Collections
Looking east on Madison St. to its end at Pierce St.

Nov. 20, 1952 Burgert Bros photo courtesy of the Tampa Hillsborough Co. Public Library Cooperative

This photo also shows the "marching to battle" soldier with intact rifle resting on his right shoulder.

Work on the new, permanent WW2 memorial started in late 1952.  It was designed by local architect Richard S. Himes to be in similar style as the new courthouse, and built by the same builders of the courthouse, Paul Smith Construction Co.  The plans called for construction of concrete and steel, the names of the war dead inscribed on the outer walls.  Surrounding the building would be a reflection pool, sidewalks, and tropical shrubbery, and be "monumental in design."  The inside would be designed to house storage for garden tools to be used in maintenence of the courthouse lawn.
	At right: May 31, 1953 Burgert Bros. photo    courtesy of the Tampa Hillsborough Co.    Public Library Cooperative.
But what was built seems to best reflect the design of the courthouse was the material.  Emphasis looks more like it's on the storage capability, with little room for reflection in the reflection pool, and the names of the WW2 and Korean war dead inside the monument.  It was built at a cost of $8,000.

Hillsborough County's memorial to the casualties of the Trojan war?  No, it's outdoor art that conserves water.

CONSERVATION OF THE CONFEDERATE MONUMENT AND ENSUING CONTROVERSY

In 1996 Hillsborough County collaborated with the National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property, Save Outdoor Sculpture program, to address the condition of the Confederate memorial sculpture.  The County completed a thorough cleaning and conservation treatment, but did not restore the broken rifles in order to maintain the original integrity of the historic piece.  After the restoration, a historic marker was placed. 

The marker has a couple of inaccuracies. 

These photos were taken in March 2009 by William Lees and are presented courtesy of the Florida Public Archaeology Network.

Historic marker inaccuracies:

   The monument was on the NORTHEAST corner of Franklin and Lafayette streets.  It was on the SOUTHWEST corner of the courthouse square.
It makes a difference if you are referring to the intersection by use of the street names, or by the plot or block it occupies.
   The program was called "Save OUTDOOR Sculpture."
You can see larger images at the Florida Public Archaeology Network where these photos are from.
Photos by William Lees.
 

THE FINAL MARCH

  
The monument remained in front of the county courthouse until the recent "Erase all traces of the history of the Confederacy" movement that was taking over the country.  After months of debate beginning in July 2017, to appease opponents of the monument, it was moved at a cost of almost $300k to the Brandon family cemetery at Brandon Boulevard and Lithia Pinecrest Road.  The monument was gladly received by the descendants of John Brandon, Confederate veteran and namesake of the unincorporated community.   The funds were raised in one day through large donations mostly from several influential corporations, local sports franchises, and Tampa VIPs.  It took seven months from the date of the county commissioners' vote to get it prepped, moved, set up and dressed at the new location in Brandon.

Unlike in front of the courthouse downtown, where from some vantage points it blended almost unseen in with the white courthouse, it now stands more conspicuously on one of the busiest roads in Hillsborough County.  It is estimated that about 130,000 cars a day drive that section of State Road 60, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.   Some think it's now being seen by many more people because of its location on a busy road. 
 

Notice the "politically correct" placement, so that only the returning soldier faces the busy road.

Photos courtesy of the Osprey Observer**

**About the photo credits by photographer Nancy Nahas: The source website's caption of the above photo and a second one incorrectly states "...The Confederate soldier (left) is facing south and the Union Soldier is facing north" when in fact, both depict Confederate soldiers.  Yet, the article in which the photos appear, and whose author (Nick Nahas) may be related to the photographer, quotes from the historic marker which basically states both are Confederate soldiers.
 

 Click the image to see the inscription on the reverse side larger.
Image courtesy of Florida Public Archaeology Network.
Photo by William Lees
Photo has been enhanced for contrast and color correction for display here.

Read about the removal and relocation.
 

THE CHROME DOME   Today, a less detailed and less ornate replica of the courthouse dome glistens atop poles of a seatless pavilion in Joe Chillura Courthouse Square at the corner of Morgan and Madison streets.    Up until recent years, Hillsborough County used an image of the old courthouse roof and dome for its logo.  Now a silhouette of the park pavilion is used, so you might say the old place has also been demolished symbolically as well as physically.

This somewhat surreal elevated Google view of the courthouse shows how the courtyard was split into two squares.
The drainage system and downspout for the water reclamation "temple" can also be seen here.

So what became of the parking lot at the original Court House Square?

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