The 7-story Stovall Office building opened in 1920 at the corner of Tampa and Madison Streets housing four ground-floor businesses and 120 offices. By 1944 when this photo was taken, tenants included Powell’s Florist, Fleischman’s Gift Shop, Hartsfield Co. Loans, and most prominently Seldomridge Photography Studio. Seldomridge was a well-known portrait studio specializing in engagement portraits. They photographed many well-known Tampa brides preparing for their big days. At the time, grooms weren’t typically photographed for newspaper announcements like brides. In 1952 the name was changed to the Flagler Building, the namesake of the structures management company, to stave off confusion over Stovall’s other buildings.

It was sold in 1965 to Joseph Newman of Cleveland for $330,000 who planned to do a complete makeover. That never materialized. In 1967, The First National Bank of Tarpon Springs foreclosed on it. The structure was demolished in 1968 to make room for a parking lot. The entire block was cleared in 1971 for the 36-story First Financial Tower. Now known as Park Tower, it had many firsts such as a 5,000 sq. ft. vault for its planned largest tenant First National Bank, weighing 3.8 million pounds. It was the tallest structure in Tampa for a short while. It opened in 1973 and has changed hands and been renovated several times since.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved