Sulphur Springs Gazebo, Sulphur Springs Park Trail

Sulphur Spring gazebo, 1945. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

The restored Sulphur Springs Gazebo. 2025. © Chip Weiner.

The Sulphur Springs area began as a 100-acre development in the 1920s, purchased by realtor Josiah Richardson. Recognizing Tampa's booming tourism industry, Richardson transformed the natural spring into a major attraction. He built a swimming pool with a giant toboggan slide, a grand bathhouse, an alligator farm, and a dance pavilion, all centered around the spring. To the west, on Nebraska Avenue, he constructed a European-style arcade featuring shops, a barbershop on the ground floor, and the Nebraska Hotel above.

In 1927, Richardson erected a 220-foot Gothic water tower near the Hillsborough River to serve the community's water needs. Though intended to double as a gambling venue, those plans never materialized.

One of the standout features of the resort was the Sulphur Springs Gazebo. Originally called a bandstand, it featured a second-floor entertainment area and a ground-level sitting space with a bubbling fountain where visitors could enjoy a free drink of the spring’s supposedly healing waters. The open-air, octagonal structure with a domed roof overlooked the landscaped park and the spring-fed stream flowing into the Hillsborough River. Richardson even had his initial, "R," emblazoned on each of the eight side panels.

The resort quickly became a regional destination, drawing both tourists and Tampa residents. A streetcar line was built to accommodate the crowds. The Sulphur Springs development thrived for nearly a decade. But in 1933, a devastating flood from the Hillsborough River submerged much of the area. Combined with the economic pressures of the Great Depression, the damage proved insurmountable. Unable to recover financially, Richardson declared bankruptcy in 1934 and was forced to sell the property.

Under new ownership, the area was rebuilt and enjoyed renewed success through the 1940s and 1950s, until a gradual decline began. In 1976, the arcade was demolished—despite resident protests and petitions—to make way for additional parking for the Tampa Greyhound Track, which itself has since ceased operations.

The Sulphur Springs Gazebo with the windows broken out. Sulphur Spring gazebo, 1968. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System

The Sulphur Springs Gazebo circa 1970s. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida digital collection

Sulphur Springs gazebo from across Springs Run circa 1970s . Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida digital collection

The original spring-fed pool remained open until the 1980s, when the city closed it due to suspected pollution. Though the spring still flows and supplies drinking water to the city, a chlorinated pool built nearby in 2000 to satisfy residents' recreation needs was closed in late 2023 after officials discovered water from the spring on which the pool was built was leaking into it. While it was scheduled to reopen in 2024, as of 2025, the pool remains drained and closed with no updated timeline.

The gazebo also fell into disrepair over the decades. In 1962, when the North Tampa Chamber of Commerce operated it, blocks and windows were installed, and the top floor was enclosed to accommodate the Hillsborough Amateur Radio Society. As a Cold War strategy, they installed a 500-watt radio transmitter and used it as an emergency Civil Defense communications center. By 1968, the windows were broken out, and graffiti eventually covered the structure. Both the tower and the gazebo became hubs for teen drinking and loitering, prompting the city to fence them off.

A sign at the Gazebo beckoned visitors to take the “World Famous Sulphur Springs Water” in 1962. Tampa Tribune Photo, 1962

After $200,000 worth of work, the restored Gazebo is now fenced off with no public access. © Chip Weiner.jpg

The sitting area and fountain where visitors once drank the healing water is now capped off and painted blue. © Chip Weiner

A sign indicates that visitors can gain access and rent the area for weddings. Officials say that's not true. 2025. © Chip Weiner

The iconic water tower no longer functions but received a $309,000 restoration in 2023, including wall repairs, fresh paint, and an anti-graffiti coating. It remains closed to the public but is a silent beacon to a bygone era, visible to travelers on I-275.

In 2012, the parks department invested over $200,000 to restore the gazebo, replacing its structural supports, repairing walls and stair balustrades, and updating the landscaping. It looks nearly brand new. While the water it overlooks, Spring Run, is pristine, the area is no longer accessible to the public. Fences shut out most of the park to visitors, including a beautiful peninsula island between Spring Run and the river, and overgrown vegetation now obscures the view of the water from the former bandstand, even if it were accessible.

The decorative fountain area, which once offered visitors a drink of healing spring water, has been capped and painted blue. Like other city park shelters, the gazebo has signs listing it as available for wedding rentals through the parks department. A parks official confirmed that it rents for $120 per day, but then stated that it is not available for rental, with no projected timeline for reopening.

Today, the water tower, pool, and the gazebo are the last visible remnants of what was once Tampa’s bustling Sulphur Springs resort—a vibrant destination slowly fading into memory.