The Tampa Gas Company was chartered in March of 1895 to manufacture and supply natural gas to the city of Tampa and surrounding areas. A month later, they were awarded the franchise to build a $100,000 gas plant in Tampa after a controversial bidding process. One of the founders was attorney Peter O. Knight, who would later become president of Tampa Electric. The company built a 2-story headquarters at 201 Madison St around 1910 and expanded it to these 4-stories in 1930. As electricity took away consumer demand, the company expanded to provide residential deliveries for heating and cooking.

In 1951, Tampa Gas moved to its new location at 215 Tampa Street. In 1955, Peoples Water and Gas from Miami purchased and renamed the company Peoples Gas. As profits grew, Lykes Bros. Inc, an agricultural production company, acquired the company in 1979 and renamed it Florida Gas Co. Lykes Brothers still owned this building in 1992 when the Architectural Review Board (ARC) voted to recommend the building become a local landmark. In 1993, Lykes fought preservationists and got permits to demolish it, and the neighboring First National Bank, saying they wanted to build their new headquarters there. They then sued the city for $ 1.5 million for defamation, interference, and recovery of costs to fight the preservation claim. After all that litigation, they never built the building. The property is now Lykes Gaslight Square Park, leased to the city and run by the City Parks and Recreation Department.

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