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MICHAEL CANNING"Mr. West Tampa" was a tireless advocate for others as he built his own prominent business.
Talking about the late "Mr. West Tampa" still chokes up George Guida Jr., himself a native of West Tampa. "He was a hell of an example," he said. "I wish I could be the same."
"Mr. West Tampa" was his father, George Guida, one of the most prominent businessmen and prolific fundraisers of the old Latin enclave.
The elder Guida was born in West Tampa in 1914, the son of Sicilian immigrants. As a young man, he held a variety of jobs, including gas station attendant and dry goods store clerk.
In 1938, he married Palmira Priede and opened a floor covering and Venetian blind store, American Venetian Blinds. In 1945, he moved the business to a former post office at Howard Avenue and Union Street, renamed it George Guida Co. and expanded it to include appliances, carpet, air conditioners, paint, wallpaper, ceramic tile and housewares. He and his wife lived on the second floor with their children Frank, George Jr. and Loraine. Later, they had two more children.
A few years later, Guida and other West Tampa merchants formed the West Tampa State Bank, which became Central Bank of Tampa and now Mercantile Bank. In 1948, Guida's store expanded again and moved across the street into a former A&P grocery store.
That same year, Guida branched into design and construction. His projects involved commercial buildings and houses, including a 5,300-square-foot mansion he built for his family on the edge of MacFarlane Park in 1951.
By then, Guida had become famous for his charity. He raised money and donated labor to several causes, including the West Tampa Boys Club, the Interbay Boys Club, St. Joseph's and Jesuit High schools, Academy of the Holy Names, Sons of Italy Community Lodge and the Hillsborough Association for Retarded Children.
Guida died in 1986 at age 71.
A year later, George Guida Drive was dedicated inside MacFarlane Park. In 1989, the Guida family sold the Guida house to the city, which annexed it into the park.
Preservationists, who covet the house for its striking mid-century modern architecture, saved it from demolition in 2003. The city had planned to raze it to make for way for a new West Tampa Boys & Girls Club.
The latest proposals for the house include converting it into a museum or community facility.
- Source: City of Tampa Architectural Review Commission.