Hyde Park was Tampa's first Western suburb, stretching southward from the mouth of the Hillsborough River down the east side of the Interbay Peninsula. In 1886 O. H. Platt of Hyde Park, Illinois, purchased the Robert Jackson farm on the south side of the river in anticipation of a bridge across the Hillsborough River. He named this new community after his hometown of Hyde Park, Illinois.

Two years later, railroad baron Henry B. Plant constructed his magnificent Tampa Bay Hotel, and not only did the Lafayette Bridge (on what is now know as Kennedy Blvd.) become a reality, but the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes in close proximity made Hyde Park the ideal place to live in Tampa. Citrus growers, cattle ranchers and shipping magnates, including James Watrous, Alfred Swann and William Morrison, cleared land and built grand homes, and the neighborhood streets still bear their names. By 1910, the area was the most desirable residential community in the city.

However, The Great Depression and World War II brought bleak years. The building boom fizzled, and many stately homes were converted to boarding houses. Soldiers returning home on the GI Bill chose newer neighborhoods. This decline lasted for decades. Construction of the Crosstown Expressway (now the Selmon Expressway) in the 1970s took many historic mansions with it.

Hyde Park Preservation, Inc. (HPPI) was created by neighbors in 1974 to protect the homes in this area. The Old Hyde Park Garden Club was created in 1978 as the social organization that hosted events and brought neighbors together. In the 2000s, the two parts merged under HPPI.  

The 1980s continued the revival. In 1985, the City of Tampa designated Hyde Park as a local historic district. This meant protection for historic homes and design guidelines for new construction and renovations in the area. In addition, Hyde Park Village, our upscale shopping and dining center, also opened in 1985. New residents, and those who had lived through the down times, invested in restoring the area to its former grandeur. HPPI volunteers have remained on the forefront of this endeavor.

Today, Hyde Park Preservation is a close-knit, beautiful, and diverse community of families continuing to respect the history of our area while embracing its place as part of a rapidly evolving city.