Tampa homes built in 'The Scrub' given historical status by city council

TAMPA, Fla. - Small homes where the rooms weren't connected by hallways are known as "Shotgun Houses."

The Old-timers said a bullet shot from the front door would pass through the house without hitting anything and exit through the back door. Tampa used to have hundreds of them, but only a handful are still standing. 

On Thursday, Tampa City Council took the first step to giving two of them local historical status which would help protect them from being destroyed.

The two homes were built in the early 1900s and lived in by the Johnson family. They're at 1248 and 1250 E. Scott Street, in an area once known as "The Scrub." 

It was a mostly Black, working-class neighborhood near Tampa's once-bustling Central Avenue Black business district.

Two homes were given local historical status.

READ: Neglected service station becomes historical landmark in St. Pete

In public comments and a unanimous vote for preserving the homes, city council seemed to support Councilwoman Gwendolyn Henderson's opinion that the routes chosen for Tampa's interstate highways, I-4 and I-275, were a primary reason for the demise of those Black neighborhoods.

"Basically, the destruction of Central Avenue and the Scrubs community was backed by racism on a local level and a federal level," Henderson explained.

She said urban renewal in the 1970s, the advent of housing projects, and Interstate Highway routes cut deeply into communities of color. She said it wasn't only in Tampa.

"If you look at the history of the interstates being built, across communities in the United States, it wiped out communities that represented African American and minority populations," said Henderson.

The homes are in the community that used to be called "The Scrub." 

Several council members urged preservation of what's left of the Scrub and Central Avenue neighborhoods, including the two Shotgun Houses on E. Scott Street. Council voted unanimously to extend local historical protection, and some called for plans to rebuild at least parts of the neighborhoods.

READ: Cigar box collection holds special meaning for Tarpon Springs family

Councilman Guido Maniscalco said encouraging small neighborhood business districts could be a step toward mending the communities that were destroyed.

"Think about it," said Maniscalco. "It would be like wiping out Ybor City because this neighborhood is gone. If you go down there [to the Scrub] there's a couple of streets and a couple of bricks."

The Johnson Shotgun Houses will likely share the same local historic designation that's been given to a few historic Black churches still standing in the neighborhood. The neighborhoods are near the Encore affordable housing buildings that pay homage to the music that once rang down Central Avenue.

The city is also close to finalizing a deal that would allow for the further restoration of the historic Jackson House nearby. It was once a rooming house where, during segregation, some of the most famous Black entertainers of the time stayed while performing in the clubs and other venues on Central Avenue.

"It's such an important part of the Tampa story," said Maniscalco. No one on city council suggested doing away with the interstate highways, but knowing the story could help guide the future, based on the history of the Scrub and Central Avenue.

City council is expected to give final approval of historical designation for the Johnson Shotgun Houses on Oct. 19.