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 being removed to re-create an earlier form.

Under the approved scope, the applicant will:

- Restore or replace the Ground Floor storefront system with clear-impact aluminum glazing sized to match existing mullion rhythm while upgrading to meet hurricane and energy codes. - Install an ADA elevator within a recessed centerpiece on the sidewalk-facing elevation; the elevator shaft will be screened with dark spandrel glass so the opening reads as a continuous window band. - Repair and replace damaged fluted tile, stucco and the stainless-steel awning cladding; replace failed structural glass panels and restore portal-frame elements. - Refinish alcove paving with a stamped-concrete pattern that references existing Ybor pavers; upgrade soffit lighting to LEDs and add vertical wash lighting for the fluted elements. - Improve the vacated alley and address stormwater ponding behind the building through civil-engineering grading; replace or repair rear emergency egress stairs and install new security gates to limit unauthorized nighttime entry.

Matson said tenant spaces on the Ground Floor will remain occupied during the work where feasible, and that the project team has engaged civil and structural engineers to resolve drainage and structural-brick issues discovered in the building's interior. He described the elevator location as chosen to reach multiple floor levels with minimal internal reconfiguration and said spandrel glass will visually minimize attention to the shaft.

The commission's approval included two conditions: that both proposed gates use an aluminum material and that the applicant coordinate all final finishes with staff. When the motion passed by voice vote, the applicant acknowledged the conditions, saying, "Yes. We are okay." The commission did not record a numerical roll-call tally in the hearing record; the chair declared the motion carried after members voiced "aye."

Staff packet materials cited the property's Sanborn-map evidence and a historic newspaper clipping describing a prior exterior remodeling, which recorded a $45,000 initial phase for a 1940s renovation of the Fernandez and Garcia department store at the address. Staff also noted that the property is zoned YC1 and lies within the Ybor City local historic district.

Commission discussion praised the sensitivity of the rehabilitation, the nighttime renderings and the work to retain period-appropriate signage and portal features. Commissioners asked detailed questions about second-floor window configurations (casement muntins versus larger picture windows), the depth and mounting of canopy lighting, the composition of the awning structure, and gate materials in the alley; a number of commissioners urged aluminum rather than chain-link for the alley gate.

The commission closed the public hearing after no members of the public came forward to comment and moved to approve the plans as presented, subject to the two conditions noted above. The applicant will return to staff with final shop drawings and finish samples for on-site review as required by the permit process.