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Neighborhood Report

Buildings, sites win for designs

The judges said these structures have made the county a better place.

By JONATHAN MILTON
Published April 21, 2006

This year's 24th annual Community Design Awards honored several well-known sites and buildings that judges said make Hillsborough County a better place to live.

Winners were announced April 6 at the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission's annual awards event. Here are some area winners.

Outstanding Contribution to the Community

Historic Preservation and Restoration/Jan Abell Award: Cuscaden Park Swimming Pool in the Ybor historic district. Designed in 1937, the Art Deco pool was restored and reopened for community use last year.

Adaptive Reuse: Centro Place Apartments near Ybor City. The former historic hospital site now offers affordable housing for the elderly.

Awards of Excellence

Environmental Project: Tampa Shoreline. With the help of volunteers, the project seeks to restore and protect 100,000 feet of shoreline at 30 city-owned sites.

Public Participation: Stepping Stones Youth Community Art. The mostly volunteer, nonprofit organization uses University of South Florida art students to teach art to children in Sulphur Springs.

Public Participation: 40th Street Corridor Design and Public Participation Project. The city-led project used designs from community members to enhance the area.

Historic Preservation: Atelier Architects corporate offices. Vivian Salaga and John Tennison turned the sanctuary space of an old Tampa Heights church, now known as the Sanctuary Lofts, into office space for their company.

Awards of Merit

Urban Infill: AIDS Memorial Park, at Bayshore Boulevard and Hyde Park Place. The city park replaced an empty lot.

Historic Preservation: Historic George Washington Jr. High School memorial bus shelter. After the former school was demolished in 2004, the Florida Department of Transportation salvaged some of the materials to help build a HARTline bus shelter.

Historic Preservation: Tampa Theatre marquee. The $724,000 city project, funded through the Community Investment Tax, resulted in a seven-story illuminated sign outside the downtown Tampa theater.

Institutional Projects: Transportation Management Center. The building at Meridian and Twiggs streets is home to the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway and transportation-related companies and agencies.

Environmental Projects: Desoto Park. The city park consists of 16 acres along McKay Bay in Palmetto Beach. The project restored 600 feet of shoreline and improved recreational opportunities for the area.

[Last modified April 20, 2006, 12:30:00]