In 1968, Water Street was connected to (and renamed) Ashley Drive (see From Shoreline to Museum).

Part of that roadway exists today as Saint Pete Times Forum Drive, and begins at Platt & Brorien Streets heading south and turning east to Franklin Street / Harbour Island Blvd (map).  If you looked at that map, you will see SPTF Drive’s current as well as it’s former name, Ice Palace Drive.

The City of Tampa renamed the road Ice Palace Drive in 1992 when the arena was built for the Tampa Bay Lightning.  In 1997, Mayor Dick Greco temporarily named the road Sesame Street to highlight the arrival of a Broadway performance of the kids educational TV show at the arena.  In 2003, the Lightning sold naming rights of the arena to the St. Petersburg Times.  Along with that came the street’s latest name, Saint Pete Times Forum Drive.

And now, in preparation for the coming of the new Tampa Bay History Center, city officials want to change the name again.  If Tampa City Council approves the changes, Saint Pete Times Forum Drive will be renamed Old Water Street in a tip of the hat to the all-but-forgotten waterfront warehouse district.

In late January, Developers Intown Group and Crosland plan to ask Tampa City Council to rezone property at Tampa and Tyler streets (see proposed apartment tower map).

The art deco style project would have 404 apartments, 16,000 square feet of shops and a parking garage, and will be similar to New York City’s Chrysler Building and Empire State Building.

Jennifer Murphy from ForbesTraveler.com recently reported on America’s Most Awesome Aquariums, and names Tampa’s own Florida Aquarium in the top ten:

While African black-footed penguins are on exhibit at the Florida Aquarium, the diverse aquatic habitats and ecosystems of Florida are the main feature here. Ideal for children, the Aquarium offers everything from a Caribbean-themed outdoor water exhibit where kids can play to a shark-diving activity that allows certified SCUBA divers (at least 15 years of age) to swim with live sharks. Equally inspiring is the Aquarium’s Coral Reef Gallery, which simulates a 60-foot dive from shallow-water reefs to deeper waters teeming with eels, squirrelfish, angelfish, and blue tang.

This is the fourth such honor the aquarium has received in as many years.  Both Coastal Living and TripAdvisor.com ranked Tampa’s aquarium in its top 10 aquariums in America and Parents Magazine ranked it in their top five “family-friendly aquariums in the country.”

The Florida Aquarium (map) is in the Channelside District.

This is an exclusive VIP party, so public admission is likely to be minimal. But there will be a red carpet and a party beneath a big tent.

Celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson is slated to spin at the celebration, currently scheduled for January 30.

Look for a huge tent to go up there at Jefferson & Whiting (map) sometime in January.

Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T are working to keep that from happening again, as they are adding a big bunch cellular antennas all over Tampa:

All three major cellular carriers are rushing to put up more cellular antennas downtown and around Raymond James Stadium, Ybor City and various hotel districts, to double calling capacity before the National Football League’s biggest game.

Of course, Verizon’s network has been nearly flawless in and around One Tampa City Center, where Verizon has offices.

The small park at Tyler and Franklin Streets (map) was shut down for nearby construction and then the renovations of the park.

Directional Signs in Downtown Tampa

The old directional signs to local landmarks have been bamboozling downtown Tampa visitors and locals for years, with some pointing to destinations that no longer exist or have moved.

MERJE, a environmental graphic design practice based in Philadelphia, has designed the new downtown Tampa wayfinding program.

“The selected design focuses on deep blue and vibrant green colors, these colors were chosen based on the surrounding and natural features of downtown, this helps the colors of the system to remain timeless within the environment,” said Glen Swantak, Senior Designer of MERJE.

“Tampa is the business core of Florida’s West Coast, it is a modern, sophisticated city, and is also the lightning capital of North America. This idea of light is a brand concept that is informally promoted by the downtown community, whether it is in the special lighting of the buildings and bridges or the name of the hockey team,” said John Bosio, Director of MERJE. “Designing around the light concept also is a permanent aspect of Tampa, it’s not a trend, single icon or physical landmark that will become dated. It is something that can be translated in many different ways, sometimes literally, some times graphically or through shapes and materials, and combined with the desired overall direction of a contemporary style made a lot of sense to us.”

The wayfinding program will also link to the city’s 2.4-mile-long Riverwalk project, which aims to integrate the history, natural scenery, social activity, and residential and business life of Tampa. The walkways and open spaces are being planned and designed to complement its surroundings and to attract families, runners, skaters, river gazers, and anyone appreciative of the outdoor experience.

According to the St. Pete Times article, the city will also be replacing signs on all the downtown parking garages, because, according to Downtown Tampa Partnership transportation director Karen Kress, “30 to 40 percent of downtown traffic is people looking for parking.”

Southwest Properties and Armco Capital Corp. joined forces as Channelside LLC, and plan to rent out condos in the 243 unit building.

Southwest CEO Jim Spatz said that he doesn’t think the units in the downtown Tampa complex will sell in the current U.S. market. Until the market recovers, Channelside will likely rent out the condominiums.

Now Realtor Lenny Gurvich confirms that in addition to burgers and beers, you will soon be able to get sushi and Mexican there:

RAWbar

James Devito (owner of Taps) will open 2600 sqft of space serving sushi and a full menu of Japanese fusion style dishes. Things must be going well at Taps. RAWbar is shooting for an opening prior to the Super Bowl.

Azteca Mexican Kitchen

The live/work concept is alive and well at Skypoint as another Skypoint resident, Chris Rivas, is planning an 1840 sqft Mexican themed sit-down restaurant that will include a small bar and some outside seating.

We can’t wait to try them all!

Skypoint is a residential skyscraper at 777 N. Ashley Dr. (map).

The Tampa Museum of Art will be renamed the Cornelia Corbett Center upon its opening in fall 2009.

Corbett was board chair at the museum from 2004 to 2007 and remains a trustee. The board awarded her in 2007 with the Jeanne Rozier Winter Distinguished Award for her contributions to the museum.

She and husband, Dick Corbett, recently increased their support of the project to $5 million, the largest individual contribution to the museum’s capital campaign.

In April, TMA broke ground on a 66,000-square-foot facility in downtown Tampa.

The museum is holding a ceremony at its construction site on Nov. 6 to mark the placement of the final steel beam on the facility.

Construction costs amount to $26.6 million, a combination of public and private funds.