Northgate Plaza , 8815 N Florida Ave

Northgate Plaza circa mid-1960s . Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection

Northgate Shopping Center opened in late 1955 on North Florida Avenue, when North Tampa was rapidly reshaping itself in response to postwar suburban growth. Widened roadways and new transportation corridors—most notably later Interstate 75—encouraged development beyond the urban core, drawing residents northward. Shoppers wanted the convenience of downtown retail close to home. Many of the same brands they frequented downtown, including Lerner Shops, Maas Brothers, Penny’s, and W.T., Grants opened stores in the plaza to accommodate the shift in shopping preferences. Northgate emerged as one of Tampa’s earliest large-scale shopping centers, offering convenient, automobile-oriented retail with ample parking. Its design and timing closely mirrored Britton Plaza in South Tampa, which was developed around the same period, together signaling a shift in how and where locals shopped.

Stores in this photo included Madison Rexall Drugs, Publix, Meisner’s, Lerner shops, JCPenney Co., National Shirt Shops, Tom McCann shoes, WT Grant company, Western Auto, Singer Sewing Shop, and Firestone Tires. I-275 is under construction in the background in the photo, with JM Fields and Pantry Pride across Busch Boulevard, to the north

As enclosed shopping malls (with air conditioning) became the norm, shopping centers like Northgate lost their luster. Floriland Mall, which opened in 1972, was built across Busch Blvd, where the JM Fields was. The enclosed mall trend led to a significant decline in traffic at open-air plazas. Even Floriland’s popularity was short-lived. Larger and better-groomed malls began to spring up. The University Square Mall opened in 1974 and siphoned shoppers to its store a few miles away.

In the late 1990s, the south end of the plaza was demolished, and a Home Depot home-improvement store was constructed in its place. It opened in August 1997. The northern half of Northgate Plaza remains, with retail outlets such as Walmart Neighborhood Market, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Bealls that serve residents. The Firestone Tire Store still dominates the corner of Busch Blvd. and Florida Avenue.