The 13-story (with basement) 264-room Hotel Tampa Terrace was built for a reported $ 1 million in the heart of bustling downtown Tampa and opened in 1925. Built on the corner of Lafayette (now Kennedy Blvd.) and Florida Ave, the lavish Italian Renaissance-style structure featured uniformed attendants, an elaborate dining room, and a stairway with a black Belgian marble balustrade leading to a mezzanine floor above the lobby. Every appointment was designed to appeal to a well-heeled clientele. The Florida land boom was in full motion; wealthy and wealthy wannabes were flocking to the city for riches, and the hotel had the panache and elitism they were looking for.

Over its life, it was hosted by big names such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower and singer Rudy Valee. It was sold in 1943 for $500,000 and resold three years later for $875,000. The hotel closed in August 1965 after operating at a loss for years. The only thing still operating at its closure was the bar. In 1967, the building was demolished, some of it by hand instead of with a wrecking ball to protect surrounding businesses. Corral- Wodiska company, a cigar manufacturing concern, and building owners tried to lease it but were unsuccessful. There was no planned post-destruction use of the land. It is now a parking lot.

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