Tampa Bay of Yesteryear: Old Burgert Brothers Photos from the Past

The Tampa Bay area of today looks nothing like it did decades ago. Thanks to international exposure through major sports events like the Super Bowl, tourism from every corner of the globe, and the droves of people from all parts of the United States and around the world who move to Central Florida for its mild winters and proximity to the white sands of the Gulf coast beaches, Tampa is no longer a small town surrounded by swamps, citrus groves, and cattle ranches. Thankfully, though, Burgert Brothers photos -- from the major Tampa photography company of the 20th century -- show Tampa as it was during the first half of the 20th century - a golden era for Tampa. Many popular images of Tampa from the early- to mid-20th century are Burgert Brothers photos.

Tampa of Yesteryear

Thanks to the thousands of Burgert Brothers photos archived by the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System, we have the chance to look back in time and see Tampa as it was during what is now a bygone era.

Be sure to click on the amazing links below to take a look at some of Tampa's famous and popular landmarks as they were from decades ago:

Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens under construction in 1958. Notice the construction of the brewery and the Bird Gardens in the lower-left portion of the photo.

Aerial view of Busch Gardens including the brewery, Hospitality House, and Bird Gardens in 1959

Busch Gardens brewery and Hospitality House looking north from near Busch Boulevard in 1959

Ybor City

The Italian Club in Ybor City, 1919

Busy at work in the Cuesta Rey Cigar factory building, 1924

The famous Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, 1929

The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City in 1950

Tampa Florida Brewery near Ybor City in 1936

Working at the Hav-A-Tampa cigar factory in 1939

The Ritz Theatre on 7th Avenue in Ybor City, 1958

Cigar rollers working in the Garcia y Vega company building in 1958

Downtown Tampa

A view from atop the Bay View hotel looking over Downtown Tampa and toward Seddon Island (Harbour Island today) and Hyde Park in 1925

Downtown Tampa looking north on Franklin Street in 1925

Downtown Tampa, 1927

Downtown Tampa's skyline with Platt Street Bridge in foreground, 1940

Maas Brothers building under construction in Downtown Tampa, 1920

Maas Brothers building in Downtown Tampa in 1928

Maas Brothers soda fountain and lunch room in 1929

Floridian Hotel under construction in 1926

Lounge in Floridian Hotel in 1927

Floridian Hotel lobby in 1958

Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Downtown Tampa, 1927

Inside the Sears Roebuck & Company in Downtown Tampa, 1930

WDAE radio tower on the Tampa Daily Times Building in 1924

The exquisite dining room in Morrison's Cafeteria in Downtown Tampa, 1935

Tampa Police Department on Florida Avenue in Downtown Tampa in 1935

Aerial View of Tampa Bay Hotel, situated near the University of Tampa campus, 1935

The Confederate Memorial in front of the County Courthouse in Downtown Tampa in 1921

The County Courthouse in Downtown Tampa in 1921

Hillsborough County Courthouse and surrounding Downtown Tampa in 1936

Goody Goody Sandwich Shop in Florida Avenue in 1941

Tampa's U.S.O. facility in 1942

Rialto Theater on Franklin Street, 1943

Hillsborough River and Downtown Tampa in 1937

Hillsborough River along Downtown Tampa, 1957

Baseball at Plant Field in 1939

University of Tampa across from Hillsborough River in 1947

University of Tampa in 1959

Lobby at Tampa Theatre in 1947

Seaboard Air Line Railway train in Tampa, 1948

Inside the Henry B. Plant Museum in 1950

Hillsboro Hotel facing Madison Street in 1953

WFLA building in Downtown Tampa 1954

Curtis Hixon Hall in Downtown Tampa under construction, 1964

Main Library (currently the John F. Germany Library) in Downtown Tampa at night in 1968

Davis Islands

Dredging activities around Davis Islands in 1925

Davis Islands homes under construction in 1925

Peter O. Knight Airport in 1939

Wooden bridge connecting Davis Islands to Bayshore Boulevard in 1926.

Harbour Island

An aerial view of Seddon Island in 1962. This would later be renamed Harbour Island and is an upscale island residential development that sprang up during the mid-1980s just south of Downtown Tampa.

South Tampa

Tampa Electric Company (TECO) power plant near Hyde Park in 1919

Bayshore Boulevard looking southwest in 1920

An aerial view of Bayshore Boulevard with Downtown Tampa in the upper-left portion of the photo, 1957

Palma Ceia Golf Club, 1936

Plant High School in South Tampa in 1932

Jai-Alai Fronton in South Tampa, 1954

Inside Publix Supermarket on Gandy Boulevard, 1958

North Tampa

Forest Hills Golf and Country Club in 1926 (This clubhouse is gone, but the golf course in Forest Hills has since been renamed The Babe Zaharias Golf course in honor of the famous female golfer who once lived in Forest Hills).

Temple Terrace Country Club golf course in 1923

Hillsborough High School in 1928

Sulphur Springs Dog Track in 1934

Springs Theater in Sulphur Springs, Tampa 1943

Sulphur Springs water tower and Hillsborough River in 1945

Sulphur Springs Gazebo in Tampa, 1968

Aerial View of Tampa Airport in 1931

The inside of the barn at W.R. Turner Dairy Farm in 1949

Fun-Lan Drive-In Theater sign on East Hillsborough Avenue in 1950

Bud Sherk Used Cars on Florida Avenue in 1951

The train ride at Super-Test Amusement Park in 1955

Busy strip mall at the northwest corner of West Hillsborough and North Hesperides in Tampa near Tampa International Airport in 1962

Schlitz Brewing Company (currently the Yuengling Brewing Company) near Busch Gardens and USF in 1959

Montgomery Wards building on North Dale Mabry Highway a little south of Columbus in 1960. Today, this is the site of Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

Aerial view of Courtney Campbell Causeway and shoreline in 1959

Old Rocky Point near the Courtney Campbell Causeway in 1961

Causeway Inn Motel near Courtney Campbell Causeway on Rocky Point in 1962

Aerial view of Lutz in 1952

University of South Florida

Models for the first five buildings at University of South Florida in 1958

The USF administration building under construction in 1959

Construction at USF in 1959. You can see the now-demolished Marshall Center in the background.

Construction of the Library Building (currently part of the Student Services Building) at USF in 1960

Completed Library Building (currently part of the Student Services Building) at USF in 1960

Gasparilla

Gasparilla Ship in near Downtown Tampa, 1920

1924 Gasparilla Parade along Franklin Street near Lafayette Street

Ye Mystic Krewe in the 1932 Gasparilla Parade

Gasparilla ship and a surrounding flotilla in Tampa Bay heading toward Downtown Tampa in 1959

The Florida State Fair

Florida State Fair near Downtown Tampa in 1923

Florida State Fair Midway in 1931

Clearwater

Clearwater Beach in 1922

Aerial View of Clearwater Beach in 1928

Clearwater Beach, 1938

Belleview Biltmore Hotel in Clearwater in 1924

Clearwater City Hall on Fort Harrison Avenue and Haven Street in 1924

Clearwater Memorial Causeway in 1946

Aerial view of Downtown Clearwater in 1961

Kwik Chek Food Store in Clearwater, 1952

Looking east on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard in Clearwater, 1953

St. Petersburg & Surrounding Areas

Don Cesar Hotel & Resort in Pass-a-Grille Beach, 1927

Straub Park in St. Petersburg in 1934

Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, 1947

First Methodist Church at 2nd Avenue and 3rd Street North in St. Petersburg in 1950

Soreno Hotel in St. Petersburg in 1963. The demolition of the Soreno in 1992 can be seen in Lethal Weapon III.

Howard Frankland Bridge under construction in 1958

Construction of the Gandy Bridge in 1923

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1954

Tarpon Springs

Sponge Boats at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks in 1934

Aerial View of the sponge market in Tarpon Springs, 1947

Driving in Tampa: Views from the Streets

Memorial Highway near what would be the modern day Tampa International Airport in 1921

Florida Avenue in Sulphur Springs near the site of the Florida Avenue bridge over the Hillsborough River in 1925

The Gandy Bridge in 1934

Columbus Avenue and Memorial Highway intersection, near what would be modern-day Tampa International Airport in 1935

Looking South at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Linebaugh Avenue in North Tampa, 1951

North Westshore Boulevard in 1951 This is near Tampa International Airport today.

Looking east on Hillsborough Avenue near 36th Street in 1951

Dale Mabry at San Luis Street in 1952

Looking north on Dale Mabry Highway at Sligh Avenue in 1958. You can see a sign pointing toward Colonial Beach on Egypt Lake.

Intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Tampa Bay Boulevard in 1959. You can see Al Lopez Field in the background. Today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play at Raymond James Stadium -- which would dominate this photo if it was taken today.

Resources

These photo links are all courtesy the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library.

There's a great index to these Burgert Brothers photos at LaMartin.com.