George M. Holtsinger began selling cars in Tampa in 1920 and opened this Ford dealership in the Tampa Heights area at 1514 Florida Avenue in 1928 in the building previously housing the Smith Chevrolet Company. The dealership was adjacent to the North Franklin Street corridor, which was known as the auto row. The company had a large footprint in the area, owning used car lots across Florida Avenue and next to this showroom. It was the fifth Ford dealership in Tampa, but after the Great Depression, it was the only one still standing. According to reports, the company sold over 16,000 cars in its first ten years. The family ran the business until 1960 when they sold it and moved their offices to the new Northgate Ford on North Florida Avenue.

In the early 1970s, The Florida Athletic Company hailed itself as the South’s largest sporting goods store here. The property was purchased by the Salvation Army in the late 1970s and hosted several programs for the homeless until moving across the street in 2021. In mid-2022, it is vacant. In late 2014, Hidden Springs Ale Works took over the former Bay Armature Supply building, the yellow and blue structure seen here. Holtsinger built the building and once used it in their operation.

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