Before yesterday's ribbon cutting ceremony of the newly revamped Water Works Park, my photog friend Ryan Seybold and I decided to have a little fun and create a bird’s eye view of the park. The video is a combination of time lapse footage and aerial drone video footage.
The occasion was quite meaningful to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn who proclaimed “This is a day I have waited for for a long time. Not just one year or two years, but 20 years.”
President of the Columbia Restaurant Group, Richard Gonzmart, a fourth generation Tampa native who grew up a mere three blocks from the new park, also beamed in excitement with the crowd: “Three years ago who would believe this area would look the way it does today? When the mayor talked about his dream of converting this park for all of Tampa and Hillsborough County to enjoy, I wanted to be a part of the mayor’s dream. It will be a destination for my children’s children and their children."
I first discovered the area 5 years ago just before obtaining my Fine Arts degree from USF. Photographing deindustrialization has been a long time passion and there were many times I would lug my 4x5 camera north of downtown along the Hillsborough River to the area where the Waterworks Park, Ulele and the Tampa Armature Works building are to take photos. There have been many times when I’ve photographed a building, only to discover the neglect and abandonment transitioning to an empty lot. As a result of one determined mayor that didn’t happen here. I am truly amazed at the transformation in the past few years and can’t wait to see how the rest of the area develops.
Here it is: