THE NEW FIRST NATIONAL BANK TOWER
(Learn the early
history of First National Bank of Tampa.)
THIS FEATURE IS
CURRENTLY BEING CREATED
The Downfall of a Tampa Eyesore: The Whiskey Bottle Water
Tank
Wolf Brothers History From Citizens Bank building to the Old
First National Bank Building
Lykes Bros. Corp Purchase and Battle With
Preservationists
Demolition of the Old First National Bank Building and Tampa
Gas Company Building
Lykes Gaslight Park
and
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| PLANS ANNOUNCED
FOR A NEW FIRST NATIONAL BANK SKYSCRAPER On
Apr. 8, 1970, First National Bank president E. P.
Taliaferro, Jr. announced their plan to build a new
$13.5M 35-story bank and office building on the
block between Kennedy Blvd, Madison St., Tampa St.
and Ashley Dr., just east of the present 13-story
building. Besides the bank, GTE was to be the
main tenant of the 400k sq. ft. tower and would
occupy 8 floors. Parking for 400 cars would be
on floors 2 through 5. The bank would occupy
the lobby and other bank offices to occupy 7 floors.
The new tower was to be 13 stories taller than the
current tallest building, the Exchange National Bank
tower.
Taliaferro also said plans were to
lease the old 13-story building "until it is
feasible for us to dispose of it."
Plans were for the exterior to be
mostly white marble accented by black marble trim
and tinted windows. There would be 12 main
elevators in a 2-zone system A businessmen's
club was planned for the 35th floor and possibly a
restaurant for women and small athletic club for men
with handball courts and saunas.
The building was designed by
Kelley-Marshall Inc. of Tulsa, OK and construction
would be managed by Transamerica Investment Group of
Dallas, TX. Construction was expected to begin
in June.
Read the rest of this article. |
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SUBSIDIARY TO
BUILD NEW FIRST NATIONAL BANK TOWER
Legal complications with the plans
and specifications as well as signing of leases with
tenants caused delays in the start of construction.
First Financial Corp. vice president E.P. Taliaferro Jr.
announced in Dec.1970 that his wholly-owned
subsidiary, First Financial Realty Corp., would take
over the construction and development from
Transamerica Investment Group of Tulsa, squelching
rumors that the plans had been scuttled. First
Financial Corp. was a Tampa-based holding company
which controlled First National Bank. Taliaferro
said "we feel it is in our best interests to own and
operate our own building."
Read this Dec. 9, 1970 Tribune article.
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Place
your cursor on the article below to see
buildings identified. |
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Crane and First Financial tower steel framework
seen from the Kennedy Blvd. Bridge, from the 1972
University of Tampa yearbook "Moroccan."
Courtesy of Chris Mygrant's Houx Estate Yearbook
Collection.
Now the tower is being reported as
being 36 stories.
The last structural steel beam is
hoisted with a topping-off
ceremony.
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1972-10-29 Tampa Tribune -
HELICOPTER PAD
First Financial has included a helicopter landing pad in the
contruction of its 36-story downtown office and bank building "just
in case we ever decide to turn to the helicopters" according to a
spokesman
1972-12-01 Tampa
Tribune - Buildings found "wanting" in fire
protection
"Wanting" in the fire protection sense, is keyed to
a lack of overhead, automatic interior sprinkler
systems activated by heat. The head of a
presidential commission on fire prevention, Richard
E. Bland, said yesterday that if states refuse to
require sprinklers in skyscrapers, the federal
government should "because there is no other
reliable way to fight such a fire."
Only one of the new
buildings in the central business area of Tampa,
including the First Financial Tower, under
construction, have such systems. And while
some of the older buildings do have sprinkler
systems, they have substandard fire escape systems,
including Tampa City Hall.
The First Financial
Tower will have a sprinkler system only on the 7th
floor, where computers are housed. The Barnett
Bank, downtown Holiday Inn, Exchange National Bank,
Marine Bank and the Federal Building, do not have
such systems. Only the General Telephone
building, in both its old and new sections, has an
interior extinguishing system.
1972-12-17 Tampa
Tribune - Major tenants moving in
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TAMPA EYESORE
WHISKEY BOTTLE WATER TANK TO BE DEMOLISHED
HISTORY OF THE BOURBON BOTTLE WATER TANK
The Knight & Wall hardware store was located
on the southwest corner of Lafayette and Tampa streets.
This 1922 photo is the earliest that shows a water tank.
This 1915 Sanborn Fire Insurance map from the Univ. of Florida
map collection shows the 30,000 gal. tank existed in 1915.
It was 86 feet above ground level. The 1931 map shows the
same structure.
Apr. 29, 1924 - The Knight & Wall water tank
behind the Rinaldi Printing Co. on the 100 block of
Lafayette St..
Knight and Wall Company seen at far left.
1948-07-07 PA 11086 Lafayette Hotel
Jul. 7, 1948 - The
Knight & Wall water tank advertised their Seminole brand
paint products.
On Sep. 1, 1950, the conversion of the tank
to
a 50-ft. tall Early Times bourbon bottle was
spectacularly
unveiled and uncorked above a large crowd at noon.
May 28, 1953 - Workmen on the big bourbon bottle.
Apr. 20, 1956 -
Lafayette Hotel, 120 West Lafayette Street, in
foreground, and Early Times water tank in
background.
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1973-01-20
Tampa Tribune - Madison Street to open in 6
weeks
In late Jan. 1973 VP of First
National Bank announced plans to reopen the
blocks of Madison St. between Franklin St.
and Ashley Dr.in 6 weeks, which had been
closed for a year due to construction of the
tower. Although most of the trailers and
other construction equipment had been moved
off the street, utility companies were still
working under the street surface. A
new sidewalk would be poured and once
utility installations were completed, the
bank hoped to open by March to be ready for
the first tenant, Merrill Lynch, a brokerage
firm. The city also planned to repave
Madison St. from Ashley to its terminus at
Pierce St sometime in 1973. The street
was already in poor condition before the
tower construction, and traffic signals kept
vehicles at a low rate of speed.
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BLAZE
RUINS WOLF BROS. STORE IN FORMER CITIZENS BANK BUILDING
The Citizens Bank was the first
to fold due to the Great
Depression in the early 1930s.
When the bank vacated their
ground and lower floors at the
northwest corner of Zack and
Franklin streets, and the
furnishings removed for
liquidation, the Wolf brothers
moved their clothing
store from 808 Franklin St. to the corner space on the ground floor
of the building in early 1935. On Oct. 19, 1973 a fire severely damaged the
upper floors of the 12-story Citizens Bank building on the northwest corner of Zack &
Franklin streets (700 - 706 Franklin St.) The fire began on the 9th floor and quickly spread
to upper floors.
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WOLF BROTHERS IN THE FORMER
CITIZENS BANK BUILDING
1934-12-16 Tampa Tribune - Space
has been leased to Wolf Bros in the vacated Citizens Bank
bldg. Now it was referred to as a "12-story building."
Sometimes it's erroneously referred to as a 14-story building.
CITIZENS BANK LOBBY, jUNE. 21, 1932
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THE 1925 ADDITION OF
TWO FLOORS TO THE CITIZENS BANK BUILDING |
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Citizens Bank building original 10-story design, Jan.
1920. At far right can be seen the turret of the former home of
Citizens Bank.
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Citizens
Bank building new 12-story design, May 11, 1926
Construction to add two stories to the
building was started in April 1925 and completed by Dec. 1925.
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THE WOLF BROTHERS STORY
Morris C. Wolf and Fred W. Wolf were born
in 1871 and 1873, respectively, in
Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany. In 1883 they came to the
America with their parents, Joseph Wolf and Johanna
Maria Koch Wolf,
locating in Louisville, KY. When Morris was 12 he secured a position in
a clothing store at Greenville, Ohio, owned by his uncle,
Michael Wolf of Cincinnati. His compensation was $1.50 per week,
besides board and clothes. He spent a year and a half at
this concern, and though he did not profit monetarily,
he gained valuable experience. For the ensuing 8 years he
was in Louisville, KY, variously employed, but chiefly
as a clerk in the dry goods store of his uncle Samuel
Jacobs.
In 1893 Morris came to Tampa, where
his brother Fred had preceded him in 1889. The brothers
were familiar with Tampa due to their father having
spent some time here for the benefit of the weather for
his health. Fred had spent some time in school and
graduated as a clerk in a store.
After Morris' arrival
in Tampa, the brothers were employed with their
brothers-in-law, the Maas brothers, until 1898
when Morris Wolf resigned and embarked in business for
himself with the scant capital of $200. His location
was half of a small business room near the corner of
Franklin & Lafayette streets near Tibbett's Corner. On Feb. 17, 1899
he moved to the next door and in March of the same year,
Fed Wolf resigned from Maas Brothers and entered into
partnership with his brother. This was the beginning of
the prosperous business of Wolf Brothers. In March of
1899, they moved to fine quarters at 808-810 Franklin
St. where they sold men's fine clothing and
furnishings until they moved into the former home of
Citizens Bank in March 1935.
WOLF BROTHERS STOREFRONT AT 808
FRANKLIN ST., 1932
The Wolf brothers and sisters, 1917
L to R: Morris Wolf, Martha Wolf Loeb, Jenny Wolf
Strauss, Julia Wolf Cohen, Philabena Wolf Maas, Fred
Wolf
Philabena "Bena" Maas was the wife of Abe Maas of Maas
Bros.
Read more about the Wolf brothers and their store here at TampaPix
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On Nov. 29, 1973, First
National Bank announced they would be closing at 2pm on
Nov. 30 to prepare to move into their new facilities in
the First Financial Tower. They planned to reopen
at 9:30am on Monday, Dec. 3 Drive-in and walk-up
windows would continue to operate as normal in the old
building. |
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1974-09-10 Tampa Times - Time capsule sealed
Howard Frankland photo courtesy of A History of Tampa,
etc., by Karl Grismer
 
Learn more about Howard Frankland and the bridge named in his honor.
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1973 - UPPER FLOORS OF CITIZENS BANK BUILDING BADLY DAMAGED BY FIRE
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Despite the fire damage to the upper floors, Wolf
Brothers reopened their store in the Citizens Bank building in 1974.
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1977-07-21 Tampa Times
Wolf bros may move to vacant First National bank
lobby |
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1977-07-01 Tampa
Tribune
First Financial name changed First
Florida
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Wolf Brothers moved into
the old First National Bank building in Nov. 1977
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FIRST NATIONAL BANK CONTINUED
THE BEGINNING OF
THE END FOR THE OLD FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING
These photos from
the USF
Digital Commons, Sape Zylstra collection show the building from
the corner of Franklin and Madison streets circa late 1980s or early
1990s when Wolf
Brothers clothing store occupied the first floor. The new First
National Bank "First Financial tower" can be seen in the
first photo. The 42-story Barnett Bank tower was
completed in 1986.
1991-03-19 TRIB Lykes may move from Lykes bldg to FF
tower
Companies
to move into the First Florida tower
were Lykes Bros., a holding company; the
Lykes owned Peoples Gas System Inc; and
MacFarlane Ferguson Allison & Kelly, a
law frim in which various members of the
Lykes family are or have been involved.
All of the firms were currently in the
1927-vintage, 13-story Lykes Building,
originally called the First National
Bank Building.
1991-04-24 TRIB Wolf bros told by Lykes lease not to
be renewed
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HISTORIC TAMPA GAS BUILDING IS THE FIRST
TO BITE THE DUST
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JULY 2,
1993
Cranes are
used in the demolition of the old Tampa
Gas Co. building at Madison and Tampa
streets. The gas company building,
and the adjacent First National Bank
building that is set to be torn down
next week, are owned by the Lykes Bros.
Inc. The structures were the focus
of a battle between the company and
preservationists who had tried to block
the company's plans to destroy the
buildings.
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The only
clock at the southern end of the
HARTLine Marion St. Transit Parkway is
shown at left in this photo taken by
TampaPix in 2009. Three clocks can
be seen (on the right side face, on
edge) and there are probably six clocks,
one on each face.
Although
the Roman numerals appear as they did on
the First National Bank clock, the hands
are different and obviously only one
could be the actual FNB clock, if it
survived for 16 years.
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Late
1980s/early 1990s when Wolf Brothers was
there. |
The Marion St. clock faces also
lack the marble face seen on the First National Bank clock below.
Dec. 2, 1926
Sept. 4, 1958
1996-09-14 TRIB lykes park description
1996-11-23 TRIB FF TOWER renamed PARK tower
1997-02-05 TRIB Gaslight square honored
TAMPA GAS BLDG 201 MADISON 1915
https://digitalcollections.hcplc.org/digital/collection/p15391coll1/id/2539/rec/3
TAMPA GAS BLDG 1930 Madison & Tampa St. 1st Nat Bank
at left.
https://digitalcollections.hcplc.org/digital/collection/p15391coll1/id/6569/rec/4
TAMPA GAS BLDG 1931 NEW BLDG
https://digitalcollections.hcplc.org/digital/collection/p15391coll1/id/3880/rec/28
TAMPA GAS BLDG ORNATE DOOR TAMPA ST. ENTRANCE
https://digitalcollections.hcplc.org/digital/collection/p15391coll1/id/10817/rec/29
TAMPA GAS BLDG 1940
https://digitalcollections.hcplc.org/digital/collection/p15391coll1/id/19108/rec/31
TAMPA GAS BLDG & 1ST NATL BANK BLDG 1951
https://digitalcollections.hcplc.org/digital/collection/p15391coll1/id/1645/rec/32
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