Student services building; a work still in progress

Positioned on the corner of Palm Ave. and 14^th St. across from the Cuban Club in Ybor City, this building will act in the same manner as the current student services building but much larger. This size increase should better facilitate the same services that are currently cramped under stairwells and cluttered with uncomfortable chairs. Among those services are admissions, registration, financial aid, the library, and also, advising and counseling.

Superintendent Randy Moore with Cutler Associates Inc., the company responsible for construction of the building, said the 45,000 square foot tower would climb three stories and stretch to 45 feet, originally intended to reach 60 feet into Tampa’s skyline.

At that elevation, however, the building would violate height restrictions as defined in Tampa’s zoning codes and would impede upon the aesthetics of the preexisting architecture of Ybor City. Because of this, HCC was obligated to reduce the height to 45 feet.

Currently, the structure’s skeleton is receiving cement walls, while pale yellow brick is beginning to climb upward in slatted columns like tall window frames. And yet curiosity still rages among the student body.

HCC student Heather Robinson was a little confused when she first saw the structure.

“I thought it looked like a parking garage,” Robinson said, but later reasoned that it was too tall and narrow to be a parking garage.

Another student speculated that the Performing Arts Building was expanding.

Some students didn’t know the building was a new edition to campus, thinking it was a privately owned business or organization, and other students had no clue what the building could be or hadn’t even thought about it.

But when informed of the structure’s purpose, most students seemed thrilled and excited, welcoming the idea of the new building.

“I think it’s nice that we’re going to have a new facility,” Robinson said, “it’s going to do good things for this campus, I think it’ll make the students of this campus really happy to go here; to feel privileged to go here.”

The project was designed by HuntonBrady Architects and is currently under construction by Cutler Associates with an expected completion date of April 2010.

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The Montesino Family

Wed Nov 11 2009 10:07

As a native of Ybor City with a strong cultural heritage here that dates back to 1881, I must express that HCC has invaded our little town with some of the ugliest structures ever built in this town. My grandmother would roll over in her grave if she saw this eyesore that is obscuring the view of the Cuban Club. When HCC first occupied Ybor City, our family signed a petition to have them take down the elevated crosswalk that crossed Republica De Cuba. What a waste of money that was. HCC, get the hell out of Ybor!

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