This photo is labeled Palma Ceia School, Horton & Smith Builders. The shot was most likely commercial work commis­sioned by the building company. During the Spanish-American war, Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders camped within a short distance of the location. Hence, the Palma Ceia Civic Association requested that the school’s name be changed to the Theodore Roosevelt School. The appropriateness of the name change was later challenged by the editors of the Tampa Daily Times, suggesting that naming the school after an outstanding Floridian or Tampan might have been preferred. The civic asso­ciation prevailed.

Today it is known as Roosevelt Elementary. The original building consisted of 12 classrooms and an auditorium for $99,000. In the middle of the 20th century, classrooms were added to the original wing, the property was obtained on the north side of the school to build another wing, and the cafeteria and kitchen were added. In the 1990s, the original auditorium was dedicated to the Hon. Sam Gibbons, US Congressman. In 2006, the school was added to the US National Register of Historic Places.

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved