IN THE MIXX Vol. 005: Architectural Significance, Historically Speaking

How does something become historically significant? Not just historical. Significant. 

Time tested. Tried & true. 

I mean, you live to be 100 then I’d absolutely agree that that’s both historical & significant. But is simply living, even to be one hundred years old, enough to qualify as historically significant? Do you get a statue for reaching the century mark? Fun idea, but no. If you’re lucky then you’ll be surrounded by people who’ll carry on your legacy through stories & folklore. Maybe your memory even gets a modern makeover & your lore grows with age. Like a vintage Montrachet. Good for you. But a statue?  I think you should have to have done something other than simply lived a long life to get your bronze bust. Fair is fair & history has proven that it’s the people, inventions, architecture, art, design, music, movements, & rebels that took chances & did things differently that have since (& fairly so) earned the right to be deemed historically, & genuinely significant. Busted. Historically speaking. 

I live in a historically significant neighborhood. Historically, Spanishtown Creek; sometimes referred to as the true genesis & first non-native settlement in this area; predates Tampa. That’s significant.  At least in the history of Tampa it is. Then came Hyde Park. Tampa’s first neighborhood proper. Spanishtown Creek is nestled in the heart of Hyde Park so it’s like a first inside a first. Any first in a city’s history has to be deemed historically significant & we have a genuine 2-4-1 right here. 

Significant indeed. 

This neighborhood dug in here over 100 years ago & set such a strong foundation that not only has it endured, but these days it’d be hard to argue that Hyde Park isn’t Tampa’s most iconic residential destination. It has just about everything you could ask for. Charm, history, urban viability & architectural significance. And at over a century old she’s aged with grace. Perhaps even in reverse a la Benjamin Button (Love me some Brad Pitt but I never saw that film). Hyde Park… amid history’s ups & downs she just keeps getting better. Yeah, she’s a lil extra bougie these days but that’s fine. It’s perfect actually. And yeah, perhaps this little pocket of femme de charm is sans a proper layer of modern grit. But that’s okay too. We’re working on it. Otherwise this place checks all the right boxes & it’s safe to say that those four aforementioned flavors easily top the lists of reasons why people want to live here. 

Does one of them stand out to you? 

For me it’s the charm. Obviously.

Unless you’re just a salty prick, genuine charm is… should be… easy for anyone to appreciate. So what makes this place so charming then? Humbly, there’s no argument here. It’s hands down the ARCHITECTURAL DIVERSITY weaved into the fabric of this neighborhood that defines its charm… which enriches its history…  & emboldens its urban flavor. Tell me I’m wrong. I’m not. Humbly. Or not. So if charm is ultimately the driver for this community’s significance & it’s defined by architectural diversity then why not add new meaningful layers for the next generation to own & appreciate? Why not welcome new layers of modern architectural significance & charm? 

I know why the naysayers naysay. 

There are two reasons actually. They’re either scared of the shitty excuses for modern design we’ve been force fed over the last few decades by shitty developers who don’t give a shit about quality or style; which I get; or they're just those aforementioned salties dragging ass on their thorn lined thrones of misguided conformity. 

Let’s educate ourselves friends. 

Modern residential architecture, when executed with a thoughtful design process, honest materials, & genuine integrity; I believe we call this phenomenon quality; can coexist beautifully with its historic kin. Absorb that. Sit with it a minute. Understand it. Argue for it. We can do better. We should do better. LET’S, do better. 

Consider this: 100 years ago, had Tampa’s local brass looked at then up and coming Hyde Park & said, “yep, that’s it. These two home styles are so good that we can’t allow for any more diversity.”, we’d have a drastically different architectural landscape here. Think about that. Today we have 8 officially recognized home styles in Historic Hyde Park’s design guidelines manual. Had that happened way back then, then we’d be sitting here today lacking all of the architecture diversity that has established this community’s charm.  

Sure, new growth can be scary. Especially if it’s not planned for and thought out. But it’s 2025 & we’ve aged well. And with age comes the power of hindsight. Today we can acknowledge our mistakes & give ourselves a really promising chance at extending our historical significance for another hundred years to come. Hopefully we don’t blow up the fvcking planet by then but that’s a whole other rant. 

For now we grow. Progressively. Preserve the old stuff that’s worth preserving. Save what’s truly significant. That which has indeed stood the test of time & still resembles itself as it stood in its prime. That’s important. But so is letting go of the things that didn’t make it through with that same level of grace. It’s okay to make way for positive growth. It’s certainly not as simple as out with the old, in with the new. That’s a recklessly lazy cliche’. Historical significance should be preserved. But how we define it needs to be revisited, redefined, & revived. For history. Yesterday’s & tomorrow’s. Let’s welcome meaningful change & embrace modern progress. 

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