The Anderson whose wealth was reflected in his Queen Anne mansion resigned from the pulpit to become a bank officer.
By Times Staff Writer
Published March 12, 2004
It's hard to miss as you come off the Davis Islands bridge, even with its tall hedges and iron and brick fence. One of Hyde Park's grandest homes stands as an indicator of how one man's fortunes changed when he traded in the collar for a career in business.
James Buchanan Anderson was born in Baltimore in 1852. He came to Tampa in 1891 to serve as pastor of the First Methodist Church. In 1893 he resigned to accept a position as receiver for Tampa's Gulf National Bank.
After quickly improving the bank's fortunes, he joined local prominent citizens to organize the Exchange National Bank of Tampa in March 1894. He served as its cashier and chief executive officer until retiring in 1905.
Anderson also served as president of the Manatee County State Bank in Palmetto, the Tampa Board of Trade and was a director of the Ybor Building and Loan Association. He was a member of the Tampa City Council, the Board of Public Works and Hillsborough Masonic Lodge. He served as inspector general on the staff of Florida Gov. William Bloxham.
Anderson's wealth and prominence was reflected in his Hyde Park North home at 341 S Plant Ave., designed by architect Francis J. Kennard and built in 1898. The imposing Queen Anne mansion was rendered in brick, granite and marble and boasted a ballroom on the third floor, where Anderson's daughters gave dance lessons.
The house stands a stone's throw from Hillsborough Bay, allowing Anderson to moor his boat offshore, close to his front yard.
Anderson died in 1936 at age 84. He was survived by his wife, Ida, two sons and two daughters.
The house stands as one of Tampa's last examples of Queen Anne style. It is also sometimes referred to as the Anderson-Frank House because it was bought in the mid 1970s and restored by then-state Sen. (and current county commissioner) Pat Frank and her husband, attorney Richard Frank.
Today, Marcelina, a spa and women's club, occupies it.
- Source: Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library, Tampa Preservation Inc. and Donald Ebbert.
