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What's Cooking With Guida House?

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 23, 2008

WEST TAMPA - The idea of a museum, cultural arts center and community center to hold weddings, receptions, and arts and education classes was thrown around.

Then George Guida Jr. spoke.

He suggested turning the Guida House, the home his father built in 1951 now owned by the city, into a culinary school, where respected chefs would teach, students from around the world would stay and visitors could also spend time.

"Something that is patterned after the culinary schools in Europe," said Guida, who added the home would be available for local organizations and functions.

The people in the room became interested in the concept Guida is working on with a business partner.

They were also motivated by the interest to improve the vacant building.

The city held a public meeting July 15 at the David Barksdale Senior Citizen Center at Macfarlane Park, 1700 N. MacDill Ave., to get opinions of how people in the community would want the building used.

The city plans to begin asking next month for proposals to rehabilitate and use the local historical home located in Macfarlane Park, said Karen Palus, the city's director of parks and recreation.

"We just want to explore the possibilities and the interest and see what is compatible," Palus said.

The art deco, two-story home has an outdoor brick barbecue, fireplace in the sunken living room, tile work throughout, a basement and large kitchen, said Tom Johnston, a city urban planner.

The drawback is that the building has suffered from neglect. The ceiling and walls are damaged. Vandals have spray painted. There is water damage from the leaky roof, Johnston said. He estimates it would take $1 million to repair the home, and the building would have to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act and the city's Architectural Review Commission.

Still, the 25 people who attended the meeting seemed energized that there is hope for the structure.

"It is not only to save the building, but it is also to say thank you to George Guida," said John LaBarbera, a friend of George Guida Sr. and his family and a longtime West Tampa resident. "We need to pay tribute to a guy who went out of his way to do things for the community."

The elder Guida, who was known as "Mr. West Tampa," was a civic leader and founder of George Guida & Son Home Furnishing and Decorating, Guida also was a founder of Central Bank of Tampa and a building contractor. He died in 1986 at age 71.

His home was purchased by the city in 1994 to tear it down and create more green space in Macfarlane Park. But residents raised awareness of the home's significance, and in 2004 it was protected as a local historical landmark. Since it was bought with money from the city's parks department budget, the house must remain a part of the parks department.

Three years ago, work was done to keep the building from deteriorating further. Contractors put an industrial fence around the property, painted the exterior, boarded the windows, connected electricity and made roof improvements.

Most people at the meeting said they want the home to maintain a public function and preserve the ambience.

Although unopposed to private investment, they oppose the construction of additional buildings near the Guida House to make the investment lucrative.

If you add more space, then you have to add parking and other infrastructure that would take away from the Guida House, said Gus Paras, a retired Tampa architect.

"You need to keep this thing within the scope of this building," Paras said.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7659 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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