Pecks Drug Store, southeast corner of Franklin and Cass Streets.
Pecks Drug Store in Central Office Building on southeast corner of Franklin and Cass Streets. 1936. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
Former JJ Newberry Department Store, Franklin and Cass Streets 2022.© Chip Weiner
By 1935, the Economical Drugstore had moved out, the building’s name had changed from the Schulte-United Building to the Central Office Building, and Pecks Drugstore had moved into the ever-changing southeast corner of Franklin and Cass Streets. Pecks was most likely the last retail outlet on the ground floor before the building was demolished, making way for the JJ Newberry’s Department Store.
The Newberry building has been vacant for decades as political wrangling over the preservation of the block has been ongoing.
© Chip Weiner. All rights reserved
From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol. 1