Central Avenue

From the late 19th century until the mid 1970s, Central Avenue was the principal business and entertainment district of Tampa's African American community. During segregation, when African Americans were not welcome in most commercial and recreational establishments in Tampa, it provided a necessary alternative. Before Urban Redevelopment razed all but a few of its buildings in 1974 and converted the area into a park, this section contained schools, churches, lodges, a library, physicians, lawyers, dentists, grocery stores, barbershops, drug stores, insurance companies, newspapers, restaurants, a hotel, movie theaters, and more than a score of bars and nightclubs, some featuring major headliners of the black entertainment circuit. Celebrities such as Ray Charles, James Brown, B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and Nate and Cannonball Adderly all played there when they were just getting started. On Saturday afternoons and evenings, the sidewalks and storefronts were jammed with people strolling, shopping, socializing, and taking in the sights and sounds. The African American businesses that grew to fill this need offered economic opportunities for proprietors, alternative employment for workers, and needed goods and services for consumers within a friendly and familiar atmosphere.

Tampa, Florida · United States