Intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Boulevard

Intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Boulevard, looking northeast toward Al Lopez Field

Intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Boulevard, looking northeast toward Al Lopez Field. 1959. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

The intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Boulevard, looking northeast toward Raymond James Stadium. 2021. © Chip Weiner

In 1959, the northeast corner of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Boulevard looked very different. Dale Mabry was four lanes, and Tampa Bay Blvd. bordered the northern edge of Tampa International Airport, which opened in 1952. Until then, the area was known as Drew Field, a World War II Air Force Base deactivated in 1946. A sign for the U.S. Army Reserve training center can be seen on the corner. More prominently, on the left, was Al Lopez Field. It was built in 1954 as a spring training facility for the Chicago White Sox and was demolished in 1989.

After its demolition, it was the parking area for the Tampa Bay Stadium until 1998, when Raymond James Stadium, a replacement for Tampa Stadium, was built on the site.

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol.2