Before Bayshore Boulevard was extended to its present route, the first bridge to Davis Islands, completed in 1925, landed at the foot of DeLeon Street. For decades, this intersection served as the primary gateway to David P. Davis' island development. Even after a new bridge was constructed and Bayshore Boulevard was extended, the northwest corner at the intersection of DeLeon Street and West Verne Street remained lined with stately homes overlooking Bayshore Blvd. Those homes slowly disappeared during the 1960s and 1970s, as several were destroyed by fire. By the mid-1990s, only a large yellow apartment building and a handful of homes remained, standing as reminders of an earlier era along Bayshore.

In 1995, the Wynnton Group purchased the property for $2.6 million and announced plans for a luxury apartment tower. Construction of the 20-story, 241-unit 345 Bayshore began in 1996 and was completed in 1998. The development introduced resort-style amenities that reflected the growing demand for upscale waterfront living along Bayshore Boulevard.

In 2001, the Bradford Group acquired the building and converted the apartments into condominiums. Today, 345 Bayshore is one of the boulevard's most recognizable residential towers, occupying a corner that has served as the gateway to Davis Islands for more than a century.

While the buildings have changed dramatically since 1925, DeLeon Street still connects at the foot of the Davis Islands Bridge. Every car leaving the islands passes the same historic intersection where generations of Tampa residents once entered David P. Davis' dream community.

© Chip Weiner. All rights reserved