new fame for grand dame

Drive by downtown Tampa on Interstate 275 and you will witness the glass spires of the Amsouth building, the Bank of America Plaza, the almost-finished Skypoint condominium project, the Suntrust building and to the east, the Federal Courthouse.

You’ve also notice the short and squat 20 story “skyscraper” with it’s brick facade on the Northeast end of downtown. From the perspective of a passer-by, it has looked like nothing more than a derelict for almost 20 years. A throwback from days of old and out-of-place in an empty part of the city. The forgotten sign doesn’t even spell “Floridian” properly.

That’s changing.

No, the historic Floridan hotel is not being razed for a high rise project (and it’s not being dwarfed by a formerly proposed condo project that has since perished). Antonios Markopoulos bought the hotel in 2005 with one purpose in mind — restoring the hotel to it’s fabled glory.

Because we cannot see what is going on, some locals think this is just more idle chatter. However, work has been going on to clean, rehabilitate and renovate the hotel’s interior since 2005. When finished, the new Floridan will have about 212 larger guest rooms (down from the 426 that it featured in the past) including eight to 12 suites and two penthouses. In addition, according to a recent Tampa Downtown Partnership newsletter, you can look forward to these exterior upgrades:

Canopies will adorn the Floridan above Florida Avenue and Cass Street, roadway cut-ins will be created, and stamped asphalt will be used to simulate brick sidewalks. With city approval, parking meters may be removed, a “blade” sign above the Florida/Cass corner will be bolted in place, and the original neon roof sign will be relit.

So fear not, downtown lovers, history buffs, and you folks that don’t like walking by old abandoned buildings. The Floridan Hotel is really being saved and you’ll soon see it with your own eyes. The aforementioned Downtown Partnership newsletter also drops the suggestion things will be ready for 2007 New Years Eve re-opening.