Palmetto Tire Company, 200 S Tampa St

Palmetto Tire Company, 200 South Tampa Street (ornamented brickwork, two-story showroom/office, garage with drive-through service bays and gas pumps). 1931. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway at Tampa Street, 2021. © Chip Weiner

At a cost of approximately $50,000, the Palmetto Tire Company’s new super service station was opened in 1929 at 200 S Tampa Street as the company’s second store. When those attending the grand opening purchased 5 gallons of gas, they received a ticket for two free quarts of oil. The company's president was H.H. Gifford, also manager of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company. In 1932, he changed the shop's name to Goodyear Service, Inc. They also sold Sunoco gasoline and Exide batteries. The location of South Tampa Street in the early 1930s put them in proximity to the area of town called The Estuary along the waterfront. Filled with primarily industrial buildings and warehouses, it allowed them to service businesses and workers commuting to their jobs in the area.

After many fizzled plans since the 1950s, 1974 brought the construction of the Tampa Bay Crosstown Expressway, now known as the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. It opened in 1976 and was extended in 1981. Tampa Street, where Palmetto Tire once stood, now ends at the Tampa Convention Center.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol. 1