D.P. Davis (Davis Islands) Properties office

It’s hard to think of a more spectacular riches-to-rags story in Tampa, especially in the 1920s than the tale of David Paul Davis and his Davis Islands. Davis was a Florida native born in 1885. He honed his skills and some speculate his wallet as a land developer by selling real estate early in his career, especially in Miami. In 1924, Davis returned to Tampa seeking to turn two scrub islands in Hillsborough Bay called Big and Little Grassy Island into the largest development on Florida’s west coast. He faced extreme opposition from the public but was able to get the deal done. In the mid-1920s, investors saw land as a no-lose sure thing and flocked to the area to buy in, putting Davis’ project in high demand. Full-page advertisements promoted the islands as a luxurious place to live, and initial sales were booming. His flashy office, with its brightly lit sign on busy Franklin Street, was one example of his lavish marketing practices. He spent extravagantly on brochures, a fleet of vehicles to drive potential buyers around the island, and hired celebrities to appear to promote his project publicly. Two years after his project began, investors dried up, and the entire real estate market collapsed. In August of 1926, Davis sold his interest in the project to a group of Tampa businessmen for pennies on the dollar. In October of that year, while on a steamship to Europe, he went overboard either accidentally or otherwise and was never found. By 1930 the build was leased to Rogers Shoe Store, and by the 1940s, it was Madison Drug Store. The corner has now been incorporated into the 220 Madison Building, and CVS Drugstore is in the corner storefront.

D. P. Davis Properties offices with pedestrian traffic on corner of 502 Franklin Street with adison Street. 1925. Burgert Brothers Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

220 Madison Building, 220 E Madison St North, Tampa, FL. 2021. © Chip Weiner

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again Vol. 1