1928 West Laurel Street (House), Tampa, Hillsborough County, FL

Significance: This building's architectural and historical significance is derived from its contribution to the West Tampa National Register Historic District. It is a fairly good example of the frame vernacular rowhouse popular in West Tampa between 1894-1920. This house was either not constructed or was not located on this site until the late 1930s since it is not shown on the 1931 Sanborn Map nor is it listed in the Tampa City Directory until at least 1940. The house is basically a small frame vernacular house featuring a bungalow style porch with stuccoed piers and battered wood half columns. The house retains its exterior configuration and siding but the front porch has been enclosed in the past decade. The City of West Tampa was established in 1895 as a community adjacent to, but separate from. the City of Tampa and remained an incorporated city for thirty years. Like Ybor City, West Tampa was originally developed to promote the cigar industry in Tampa. In 1887, a group of Tampa businessmen, led by Tampa lawyer Hugh C. Macfarlane, began to promote the area west of the Hillsborough River as a possible location for a second cigar manufacturing center. They were successful as cigar factories, social clubs, schools, residences, commercial buildings and other public institutions were constructed. Most of the housing consisted of wood frame vernacular rowhouses and bungalows. This house is a traditional example of the wood frame cigar factory worker's house, with a bungalow style porch, found in West Tampa.
Survey number: HABS FL-482
Building/structure dates: ca. 1930- ca. 1940 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 83003539