Latest news with #Kite-Powell
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spanish history on display at new Invisible Immigrants exhibit
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Tampa is debuting the Invisible Immigrants: Spaniards in the U.S. exhibit at the Tampa Bay History Center, sharing the untold stories of Spanish immigrants who helped shape the city. The exhibit was curated by New York University Professor James D. Fernandez and Journalist-Filmmaker Luis Argeo, who spent a decade collecting nearly 15,000 records to create the Invisible Immigrants exhibit. 'It really blindsided me': Hurricane relief funding causes confusion in Tampa 'It originated in Spain and we're so thrilled to have it here in the history center,' said Rodney Kite-Powell with the Tampa Bay History Center. The untold stories of Spanish immigrants date back to 1868 in the museum. Photos, videos and artifacts take visitors along a journey through 1945. 'The first taste is, you are overwhelmed by the number of photographs and artifacts that were accumulated by the curators,' Kite-Powell said. 'They really describe the exhibit as walking into a scrapbook.' Tampa was the chosen destination to debut the exhibit in the U.S. due to the vast population of Spanish immigrants and their impact on the cigar industry. 'That's why so many Latin immigrants came here,' Kite-Powell said. 'Cubans, Spaniards and Sicilians coming here creating Ybor City, West Tampa and making Tampa Cigar City. Some may recognize the name Bob Martinez, former Mayor, former Governor. Well, that's his mother right there and he hadn't even seen that photograph before coming here. These are Tampa's hottest neighborhoods, report says 'This sandwich shop was actually on Central Avenue, Tampa's Black business district,' he added. 'And while most of those businesses were Black-owned, some of them were owned by non-African Americans and this happened to be one that was Chico's.' Several local families are featured throughout the exhibit, including Anthony Carreño's family. 'My father is right here,' Carreño said. 'These are my paternal grandparents.' Carreño's family moved from Spain and Sicily between 1904 and 1909, and they have been here ever since. 'My Spanish grandparents lived next door and they never learned English, so I was exposed to Spanish on a daily basis,' he recalled. Tampa International Airport celebrates first nonstop flight to South America Since the 80s, Carreño has preserved not only his family's history but also the stories of so many Spaniards who came to the United States. 'It means that we were a part of a great story and I'm glad they're honored, but I think we need to remember that every story is important and I think that's the beauty of the project,' Carreño said. It's an effort to pay homage to those who came before us while educating those as we shape the future. 'Modern Tampa is what it is really because of the presence of the cigar industry and immigrants that came with it,' Carreño said. 'This is Tampa's DNA.' The Invisible Immigrants exhibit is available through August 1 at the Tampa Bay History Center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What's in a Name: Howard Frankland Bridge and Lowry Park
The Brief Howard Frankland was a prominent businessman who proposed building the bridge to connect Tampa to Pinellas County. Frankland paved the way as construction began in June 1957 and the bridge was completed in April 1960, becoming the fourth and final span across Tampa Bay. TAMPA, Fla. - When it comes to having a road named after you, sometimes it helps if you just own the right plot of land – such was the case with Howard Frankland in the 1950s. "When I-4, which is now the path of I-275, was cutting across west Tampa and was going to go across Tampa Bay, they needed to acquire land, and then they needed to build a bridge," says Tampa Bay History Center historian Rodney Kite-Powell. The backstory Howard Frankland owned the property on the Tampa side of the proposed bridge. He was also a prominent businessman in town, and owned Pioneer Tires. "It just made a lot of logic, given his stature in the community and his ownership of the property adjacent to the bridge, that it would be called the Howard Frankland Bridge," says Kite-Powell. Construction began in June 1957 and the bridge was completed in April 1960, becoming the fourth and final span across Tampa Bay. In some cases, when it comes to naming landmarks, it helps to be the "man with the plan", like Dr. Sumter de Leon Lowry. His main job was owner of an insurance company. But he was also a Tampa City commissioner for three consecutive terms in the 1920s. READ: What's in a name: Gandy Bridge Lowry saw a big opportunity on a large parcel of land west of the Hillsborough River, just opposite of Sulphur Springs. Originally slated to be a cemetery, the land sat vacant for years. "The city wanted to have a larger park and a zoo. And since it was Lowry who initiated the idea of having the park space, they went ahead and named it for him," says Kite-Powell. In the late 1920s, Lowry Park got its first zoo and, during the Great Depression, it was home to a work camp. The attraction "Fairyland" opened in the park in 1957. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Corey Beckman. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
What's in a name: Courtney Campbell Causeway
The Brief Tampa businessman and engineer Ben T. Davis began the seven-year construction project in 1927, which cost $1 million to complete. The War Department seized control of the causeway during World War II and eliminated tolls on the causeway as part of the war effort. U.S. Representative Courtney W. Campbell had the causeway dedicated to him after he directed government funding toward the rehabilitation and improvement of the highway. TAMPA, Fla. - It's 10 of the most beautiful miles in the Tampa Bay area. The Courtney Campbell "Scenic" Highway certainly lives up to its designation. But the causeway didn't always go by that name. The backstory It was originally built as the Ben T. Davis Causeway. In the 1920s, Tampa businessman and engineer Ben T. Davis saw a business opportunity in upper Tampa Bay. RELATED: What's in a name: Gandy Bridge "Even though the Gandy Bridge existed in the 1920s and early 1930s, it was still inconvenient to get from Tampa to Clearwater because either you go all the way over the top through Oldsmar, or you go kind of around through St Pete for the Gandy Bridge," says Tampa Bay History Center Historian, Rodney Kite-Powell. Davis wanted to offer an easier way to get to the Clearwater beaches. Dredging of the causeway began in 1927, and construction was completed seven years later at a final cost of $1 million. "It was a toll road. Davis didn't want to miss any income or any opportunities to collect tolls day or night. So, when he built the toll booth, he actually built his house on top of it," says Kite-Powell. The Davis family lived above a two-story toll booth. At the time, the toll cost just a quarter for cars to go one way, plus a nickel per passenger. READ: Florida regulators approve new rates for Citizens with changes taking effect June 1 "He used the tolls to both pay back the expense of building the bridge and then also as income," says Kite-Powell. Dig deeper Davis's cash cow didn't last long, however. During World War II, the War Department seized the causeway, paying Davis $1.1 million and eliminating tolls as part of the war effort. Over the years, however, the government did not maintain it very well. Then, U.S. Representative Courtney W. Campbell entered the picture. READ: Man on the hunt for $200M historic treasure that could be in waters near New Port Richey Local perspective "He (Campbell) was able to direct government funding towards the rehabilitation and improvement of the causeway," says Kite-Powell. As a thank-you for helping create some of Tampa Bay's most beautiful hangout spots, the roadway was renamed the Courtney Campbell Causeway in 1948. The Source FOX 13 traffic anchor Alyse Zwick and photojournalist Corey Beckman collected the information for this story. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What's in a name: Gandy Bridge
The Brief Developer George Gandy funded the first bridge linking Tampa and St. Petersburg in the 1920s. It took $3 million and 1,500 workers to finish the 2.5-mile span. The Gandy Bridge was replaced in 1956, expanded in 1976, and expanded again in 1996. TAMPA, Fla. - Without a bridge in sight at the turn of the 20th Century, a trip from Tampa to St. Petersburg was a 50-mile, all-day trip. "Through driving or horse-drawn carriage, either method would take several hours," says Tampa Bay History Center historian Rodney Kite-Powell. But developer George Gandy looked out over the water in St. Pete, and thought he'd change that. "He had this almost kind of fantastical idea of creating a bridge that would cross the lower end of Tampa Bay, connecting St. Petersburg and Tampa's Interbay peninsula," says Kite-Powell. Using his own money, Gandy began construction in September 1922. It took $3 million – equivalent to about $56 million today, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – and 1,500 workers to finish the 2.5-mile span. It opened as a toll bridge in 1924. "So, every time you went across that bridge, George Gandy was 10 or 25 cents richer, whatever the fee was at the time," says Kite-Powell. He says the bridge was a game changer for the Tampa Bay area. "It changed the connections between Tampa and St. Pete. It made that connection so much easier. The automobile also, at the same time, was becoming much more available to the average middle-class family." George Gandy lived to the age of 95. The Gandy Bridge was replaced in 1956, expanded in 1976, and expanded again in 1996. The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13 senior producer Corey Beckman and traffic anchor Alyse Zwick. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
