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Documenting House History

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 9, 2008

WHY IT MAY BE A LANDMARK

BRANDON - Robert Knowles built his house off what is now Bell Shoals Road in 1915 using a vernacular style popular in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, his wife, Marjorie, was from.

He added some distinct design, materials and craftsmanship representative of Florida, which makes it a good candidate for historic designation.

Some time around 1920, according to family history and documents compiled by Hillsborough County Planner Elaine Lund, the original western porch on the house was removed, and a porch on the northeastern side of the house was enclosed. The owners added a kitchen, two chimneys and a wrap-around porch.

The use of native heart pine to build the house and construct the floors, along with the addition of a sleeping porch and the wrap-around porch, show the house was adapted for the Florida environment, Lund said in her report to the county's Historic Resources Review Board.

It is one of the oldest surviving residences in the area with few exterior alterations, Lund's report says.

That, combined with the family's history, convinced the review board in June to unanimously recommend the house for landmark designation.

Lund said the county adopted standards for historic landmarks in 1992 that enable the county to protect structures from changes that would destroy their historical character.

Once a structure is designated a landmark, owners can apply for historic preservation tax exemptions, grant money for exterior renovations and, in some cases, special exceptions for development purposes.

Lund said the county has more than 250 properties on its historic resources inventory list and 24 designated historic landmarks.

Yvette C. Hammett

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