City Councilmember Naya Young, also board chair of Tampa’s Community Redevelopment Agency, celebrates the start of construction on a new Rey Park Center last week. (Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa)

An iconic yet outdated facility in West Tampa is receiving more than a new lease on life; the Rey Park Center is undergoing a $5 million rebirth.

The beloved community center opened in 1955 as the centerpiece of a 1.35-acre park at 2301 N. Howard Ave. City officials will soon reduce it to rubble and build a larger, more modern facility that retains its predecessor’s West Tampa heritage.

Stakeholders celebrated the dawn of a new era for the Rey Park Center at a groundbreaking ceremony on June 24. West Tampa Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) funding made the project possible.

“This is a first-class upgrade,” said CRA Chairperson Naya Young in a statement. “This facility and park have been a part of the West Tampa family for 70 years, so this upgrade is well-earned and will lift not just Old West Tampa, but also Macfarlane Park, Bowman Heights, West River, and other nearby neighborhoods and families.”

According to the announcement, the new community center will retain its predecessor’s “West Tampa charm.” (Rendering courtesy of the City of Tampa)

The new Rey Park Center will total 5,082 square feet and feature a 2,281-square-foot covered porch. Visitors will enjoy a new playground and equipment, a basketball court, a walking loop, an open lawn for activities, an event stage, and an outdoor fitness area.

West Tampa was founded in 1892 and quickly became a haven for Cuban immigrants who worked in the city’s burgeoning cigar industry. What is now one of Tampa’s oldest neighborhoods was an independently incorporated city from 1895 to 1925.

Located about a mile west of downtown, across the Hillsborough River, West Tampa remains a historic, culturally vibrant neighborhood. The 71-year-old Rey Park Center was named after Pelegrino Rey, former mayor of the once-independent city.

West Tampa was also an early enclave for African American residents. The neighborhood and surrounding areas were predominantly Black by 1927, two years after annexation, according to a study released that year. 

Young noted that many families have lived in West Tampa for generations. However, people of color were not welcome at the Rey Park Center when it opened.

“I couldn’t come to this park because it was not integrated in 1962,” said Joe Robinson, a longtime resident who now serves on the West Tampa CRA Community Advisory Committee.

Joe Robinson now serves on the West Tampa CRA Community Advisory Committee. (Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa)

Robinson and other people of color eventually became fixtures at the Rey Park Center. According to the city, the facility remained popular with teens through the 1990s.

Part of the Rey Park Center’s unique charm is an iconic mural that depicts a lively 1950s street scene. Robinson called the public art a “living history of West Tampa.”

Using a new medium, Carl Cowden II, who painted the expansive mural in 1984, will recreate his artwork for the new facility. Angel Wood-Mark, CEO of Phinazee Construction and Consulting Services, told WTVT that “we're capturing it onto glass, and on the inside of the building, we have a wraparound glass window that will have it etched."

A section of the mural depicting an old-fashioned ice delivery truck and trolleys. (Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa)

The last major renovations at the Rey Park Center occurred in 1997, and the aging facility desperately needed a facelift. Young said city officials realized they needed to “start really putting some effort and some money behind some of these communities that need it,” and “West Tampa is definitely one of them.”

Fellow city council member and CRA Board Member Guido Maniscalco echoed that sentiment. The area has seen an influx of new city-sponsored investments in recent months.

“It really is time for West Tampa,” Maniscalco told attendees. “A few weeks ago, we dedicated the street sign across the street to Tony Garcia. Before that, we dedicated the renovations at Salcines Park, just down the street.”

A $4 million investment from the CRA will help cover demolition of the center, park amenities, and the new building, which should open by December 2027. Officials will allocate an additional $1 million to streetscape improvements around Rey Park.

City officials expect the new facility to open by December 2027. (Photo courtesy of the City of Tampa)

Share Your News

To share news with the Power Broker, connect with reachout@powerbrokermagazine.com. To sign up for our twice-weekly e-newsletter, visit www.powerbrokernews.com, and to join our online conversation, subscribe to our YouTube channel at Power Broker Media Group – YouTube.