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Armature Works, an upriver Tampa adaptive reuse development with eateries, shops and outdoor event space, has become a popular gathering spot for city residents and regional tourists. It also serves as a hub for the busy Tampa Heights neighborhood, where an eclectic mix of new projects, spearheaded by the Tampa Metropolitan YMCA, will include offices and retail, a new 110,000-square foot YMCA, and reinventing the nearby Standard Oil Building into the lobby of a 200-room luxury hotel.
When local developer SoHo Capital acquired the building with the idea of creating a hangout for Tampa’s waterfront community, the site had been abandoned for nearly 15 years and taken over by squatters. Tampa-based Ellison Construction was hired as the construction manager in 2011. “There were leaks everywhere,” says CEO Casey Ellison. “It was in complete disrepair.” As it launched demolition of some of the building’s components, the team found a large vault structure and ancient safe buried in the ground. “We found numerous old medicine bottles, bourbon and rum bottles, the old ticket booth from the theater, along with old movie theater posters,” he says.
The building retains all its original window glass, which was reinforced to provide hurricane resistance and to comply with today’s energy codes.
We learned when you’re trying to bring something like this back to life, the authenticity of how it all comes together is what makes it great.”
--Casey Ellison, CEO, Ellison Construction
