Tampa panel approves Art Deco facade rehab, ADA elevator at 1502 E. Seventh Ave. in Ybor City

The Tampa design-review body granted a certificate of appropriateness Oct. 28 for renovation work at 1502'1512 East Seventh Avenue in Ybor City, allowing the project team to repair the building's 1948 Art Deco exterior, install an ADA elevator and make site improvements while coordinating final materials with staff.

The project team, led by Andrew Matson of AIC Architecture, told the commission it will keep the 1948 renovation as the primary envelope and restore or replace damaged elements rather than returning the building to its original 1900 appearance. "We are restoring the current the 1948 renovation of the building," Matson said during his presentation.

Ron Vila, a planner in the city's historic-preservation office, recommended approval and cited the Secretary of the Interior's standards for rehabilitation. "These changes that have acquired historic significance in their own right shall be retained and preserved," Vila said, explaining staff's finding that later alterations can be preserved instead of…