Lafayette Arcade, 422 West Lafayette Street

Lafayette Arcade at 422 West Lafayette Street, three story building with clock mounted on side. 1930. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

The Lafayette Arcade, modeled after the Flatiron Building in New York, opened in 1926. According to the Tampa Daily Times, it was promoted as the largest business structure west of the (Hillsborough) river, housing 27 retail store spaces on the first floor and 43 offices on the top two stories. It was directly across Lafayette St (now Kennedy Blvd.) from the Tampa Bay Hotel (now the University of Tampa). Many businesses, including the Lafayette Bank, W.E. Lee Real Estate (owners of the building), and Beau Monde Women’s Wear, benefitted from its proximity to downtown and tourists who visited the area.

Around the Great Depression, property ownership changed hands through a litany of legal proceedings several times. It is now home to Mise en Place Restaurant and The Oxford Exchange, two popular food and social destinations in South Tampa. Many of the building’s original architectural details have been covered with brown and white paint, and street parking has been removed.

Lafayette Arcade Building . 2021. © Chip Weiner

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol.2

View of Lafayette Street looking east toward downtown from Brevard Street 1926. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Aerial of Plant Hotel 1930. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System