I took these photos a few weeks ago when I was visiting Tampa, Florida. This beautiful old house is located on the corner of Bayshore and Gandy Boulevards. It was built by my great-grandfather, Silas Leland Biglow, in 1908. My grandfather (who was one of his sons) used to tell me and my sister many fascinating stories about growing up in this house. My great-grandfather came to Tampa in 1884 from Brooklyn, NY and became a successful merchant and real estate developer. He also was active in government, serving as president and one of the founders of the Tampa City Council. He was the first chief of the city's sanitation board and was also a member of the Ybor City Building and Loan Association. He died in the house in 1913 and later my great-grandmother sold it to Dr. John Sullivan Helms, a prominent surgeon at the time. Dr. Helms used the house as a residence until adding a wing in 1920 and opening it as Bayshore Hospital, a small private clinic serving residents of the Hyde Park and Bayside areas of Tampa. The hospital closed in 1927 and the house became the Helms' residence again. Dr. Helms died in 1932, but his widow lived there until her death in 1974. The house sat vacant for a number of years, but was later sold and has since been used by various businesses as office space. In the last photo you can see the original carriage house, which is located on the side of the house.
The second set of photos I am showing below are some old photographs I have that were taken by my grandfather when he was 13 years old and living in the house.
The front of the house as it looked in 1914. Notice in this photo that there are not as many steps leading up to the front porch as there are now. The house originally sat further back on the property and sometime after it was sold, the entire building was lifted up and moved forward to accommodate additional structures being built behind it. An additional floor was also built underneath the house and more steps were added so that the porch could still be reached from the front.
This interior shot shows the front hall as it looked when entering the house from the front porch. It also shows part of the staircase leading to the upper floor. This photo was taken on July 9, 1914.
A photo of my great-grandfather's library as it looked in 1914.
This photo shows my great-grandmother, Mattie Lucas Biglow, and two of her children riding in their automobile, which is decorated with palm fronds because they were participating in a parade in downtown Tampa.
Linking to
Tuesday's Treasures.
