Southern Transportation Plaza

Nestled among three of downtown Tampa’s most active venues – the Tampa Convention Center, the Marriott Waterside Hotel and the St. Pete Times Forum – Southern Transportation Plaza will offers something no other city structure does: intermodalism.

The Plaza serves the needs of Tampa’s local residents, downtown workers, and visitors by providing access and connection to the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit’s Uptown/Downtown Connector, the TECO Line Streetcar System, taxis, and charter buses.

Located at the corner of Franklin Street and Ice Palace Drive, the Southern Transportation Plaza was designed as an artistic urban space. Three walkways guide pedestrians safely and easily between major downtown venues within a park setting. Directional information kiosks are positioned along each path.

The heart of Southern Transportation Plaza is a round, glass-domed structure that encompasses the southern terminus of the TECO Line Streetcar System. Passengers get on and off the streetcar inside the open-air shelter.

Portals located around the Plaza shelter allow passengers to board the streetcar from any point within the park. The streetcar shelter is evocative of a roundhouse, updated with contemporary details and color.

The pre-cast concrete panels forming the outer ring of the streetcar shelter portals are a cool gray. Granules of silica carbide added to the concrete sparkle as sunlight is refracted off the surface. A brass and stainless steel globe finial sits atop the structure and ascending pre-cast sentinels with stainless steel globe lights line the streetcar entrances.

A conical glass roof, supported by radial steel, is designed to provide lightness and transparency while offering protection from the elements. The laminated, azure-colored glass contains a pattern of “frits,” or dots, to screen the sun. The frits reduce heat in summer but allow warmth in winter.

The architecture of the Plaza points to the future of Tampa, while the replica streetcars reflect the city’s past.