The JH Graham Bottling Works was a facility packaging several different beverages. The company moved to this new building in 1926 from its older production company on 9th Street in Ybor City. This location planned production of up to 4000 cases per day. It had 27 apartments on the top floor, mainly for housing plant workers. The trucks in this photograph are packed full of wooden crates filled with Graham’s work and ready for distribution.

At one point, the building housed Layne Brothers Garage, followed by Tropical Garden Manufacturing Corp. When they moved out, Tropical donated the building to Ron Ziegfield, who ran a performing arts foundation. He attempted to renovate it into a performing arts school but never wholly succeeded. By the end of the 20th century, it had fallen into disrepair.  In 2005, Joe Schwartz and Jim Weiss, owners of Grunt Equipment of Tampa, purchased the building for rehab. By then, the roof had caved in, and the walls were leaning. The intention was to modify the building for 16 condominium units for $4 million.  In 2007, the site was listed for sale on Loopnet for development with entitlements. In 2021, Sight Development sold the property as Bootlegger Factory Flats, a 22-unit apartment complex, for $4.3 million.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved