Union Bus Station, 607 Marion Street

Exterior view of Union Bus Station at 607 Marion Street, front and side facades. 1934. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Union Bus Station at 607 Marion Street, front and side facades. 1934. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

Frontier Communication building, 607 Marion Street 2021. © Chip Weiner

In the early 1900s, most domestic long-distance travel was handled by rail. As technology developed and cars, trucks, and buses became readily available, travel trends shifted. Bus travel was more convenient than trains, especially for regional travel, allowing people to go to locations without needing tracks. The Union Bus Station opened around 1920 at 407 Florida Ave, next to the Elks Club. In 1924, the Tampa Terrace Hotel was built on that site, and the bus station was moved here. White Stage Lines, one of the carriers servicing the station, offered daily travel between Tampa and St Petersburg every 30 minutes over the new Gandy Bridge. Blue Bus Lines had four daily trips to Jacksonville for $6 in 1930.

The station housed a restaurant, a modern waiting area and was home to the Tampa Travelers Aid office. GTE replaced the building, now owned by Frontier Communications, with a windowless-looking fortress building that fronts Pierce and Morgan streets.

From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol. 1

Union News Company lunch counter, at 605 Marion Street in the Greyhound Bus Station. 1948. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System